Raisman Returns: Better Than Ever

Two time Olympic Champion Alexandra Raisman recently sat down with USA Gymnastics to talk about training for Rio. Apparently, Raisman always knew that she would return for a 2nd Olympic cycle even before the 2012 Olympics had finished. After a much needed break, she has worked with her coaches Mihai and Sylvie Brestyan for her comeback. The Brestyans are no strangers to comebacks having coached Alicia Sacramone to a successful comeback after a year off where she became a world champion on vault.

In this video, Raisman manages to show some of her old skills along with some new ones. On floor, she is working a double layout. Raisman mentions working the 1.5 through to double arabian but has not worked in the arabian punch front yet just yet. We see her training her triple twist and piked double arabian onto a soft surface. On bars, she showed a Maloney (toe-on Shaposhnikova) as well as some toe-on giants. I'm most impressed with beam and the fact that she has her Patterson dismount back. She also shows that she's adapting to the code adding leaps to some of her beam acrobatic skills.

I'm also impressed with how Aly looks. Although this was just a short video and we haven't seen routines entirely put together in a pressure situation, she seems much more controlled and much more precise in everything she's doing. We know she's heard the criticism about 180 degree splits, pointed toes, etc. and in this video, it seems like we're starting to see some of these changes.

The ultimate question is where will Aly fit on the team. Honestly, who knows? Right now, the United States has a beam deficit that is actually worse than our bars. Aly could fill that spot easily if we assume her difficulty is comparable to her Olympic routines (or will be come 2016). She mentions the all around 3rd place tie break and how that was also a motivator for this comeback. How and if she fits into the all around situation will be interesting to find out but I, for one, am excited.