Aly Raisman helps power US gymnastics team to Olympic gold

At 22, Jewish-American captain is nicknamed ‘Grandma’ by her teammates, who are all younger than she is

US gymnasts (from left to right) Alexandra Raisman, Madison Kocian, Lauren Hernandez, Gabrielle Douglas and Simone Biles celebrate with their medals on the podium during the women's team final Artistic Gymnastics at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 9, 2016. (AFP/Ben Stansall)

      

The United States women’s gymnastics team, led by its Jewish-American captain Aly Raisman, won the Olympic gold medal in Rio.

The Americans finished with a total of 184.897 points to easily outdistance silver medalist Russia, which had 176.688 points. China took the bronze.

It was the second consecutive Olympic team gold for Raisman and the US, whose team members nicknamed themselves the “Final Five.” Rio is the last Olympics to have five-member gymnastics teams. Starting in 2020 in Tokyo, each team will have four members.

After the final score was announced Tuesday, the US women huddled together and cheered, led by Raisman, “We are the Final Five!”

Raisman, at 22 the veteran of the group, is nicknamed “Grandma” by teammates Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian. Biles had the top score in the all-around qualifier with Raisman second.

Raisman and Biles will compete Thursday in the women’s all-around competition.

Biles will also compete in vault, beam and floor exercise, while Raisman will compete on floor, Hernandez on beam, and Kocian and Douglas in uneven bars.

Raisman, of Needham, Massachusetts, won a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics in the floor competition, performing a routine to “Hava Nagila.”

Also Tuesday, US swimmer Katie Ledecky won Olympic gold in the 200-meter freestyle. Ledecky has a Jewish maternal grandmother and lost family members in the Holocaust.