“My confidence wasn’t great,” Aly Raisman reveals what it’s like to compete in Olympics and career after retirement

Olympian Aly Raisman talks about what led to her decision to quit professional gymnastics and her motivation to write a book.

“My confidence wasn’t great,” Aly Raisman reveals what it’s like to compete in Olympics and career after retirement

Aly Raisman [Image Credit: Imago]

In a recent interview with Katty Kay on BBC, the 6x Olympian Aly Raisman spoke about her experience in the spotlight and why she retired from professional gymnastics. While speaking about her career, she admitted feeling “burned out” after the two Olympic participation and decided to retire.

A whole lot of factors were part of her decision, some of the key elements being stress and mental pressure. She also recalls dealing with Larry Nassar’s abuse which affected her deeply and has been the key motivation why she wanted to write ‘From My Head to My Toes’.

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The purpose of her book was to spread awareness of consent and bodily autonomy to make sure a young athlete can speak up when she’s uncomfortable with anything. Although Raisman admits speaking up takes a lot of confidence and she herself is still in the learning process, the 3x Olympic gold medalist believes it is important to teach everyone to be safe.

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I’m 30 years old and it’s still hard to speak up. I’m still working on it. But even if helps one kid be safer and even if it prevents anyone from having to go through what me and my teammates went through, I feel proud of that.
Aly Raisman on BBC.

Raisman was one of the many victims of Nassar and since then she has been vocal about her experience to make sure such incidents don’t happen to other athletes. She hopes everyone can speak up against what’s comfortable and what’s not, even though one may have to navigate through fear and low confidence.

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Aly Raisman [Image Credit: Imago]

Aly Raisman has no plans to return to professional gymnastics

Aly Raisman was transparent with her choices while speaking with Katty Kay on Monday. She said she has no plans to return to the Olympic stage and believes what she has achieved as an athlete is enough. Currently, she is more focused on spreading awareness after going through sexual abuse at the hands of former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar.

Aly Raisman [Image Credit: Imago]
Aly Raisman [Image Credit: Imago]

Raisman said that competing in the Olympics is extremely “nerve-wracking” and it’s so quiet before the routines that “You can literally hear a bag of chips opening…the cameras clicking.” She admitted that seeing athletes get defined by the results made her believe that she could do more than compete for medals. 

Obviously winning medals is wonderful, but I hope to help make athletes safer and I encourage people to prioritize mental health.
Aly Raisman on BBC.

During the Olympics, Aly Raisman recalls “My confidence wasn’t great” but having her teammates and coach with her helped her calm down her nerves. Although she could not explain, she revealed that she can block out the noise and only hear certain people like her coach, and teammate McKayla Maroney from the stands which further calmed her down.

One of the pivotal moments in her life was the conversation with shoe designer Stuart Weitzman. He advised her “Don’t let the Olympics be the highlight of your life”. Following his take, she found the confidence to further her career beyond the lights of gymnastics. Currently, she is enjoying her life as an advocate of mental health and safety.

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