Olympian Aly Raisman Wants to Be Remembered for More Than Gymnastics Success

The gold medalist uses her platform to advocate for mental health and athlete safety.

Aly Raisman / Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Winning a gold medal is, of course, “wonderful,” according to retired Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman. But its not what she wants her legacy to be.

After every summer games she competed in, the 30-year-old was almost immediately confronted with questions of what’s next. At the time, all she could think was, “Isn’t it enough even doing one?” she shared in conversation with the BBC.

It was shoe designer Stuart Weitzman who really drove that point home to Raisman. In conversation with her, the American entrepreneur said, “Don’t let the Olympics be the highlight of your life.”

The Massachusetts native has taken that sentiment to heart. Since retiring from professional gymnastics, she has become a proponent for candid conversations about mental health and an athlete safety advocate. When fans and followers approach her, she said, those are the things that they want to talk to her about—not her gymnastics success.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katty Kay (@katty.b.kay)

Those experiences taught her that “there [are] more important things in life than winning a gold medal,” she explained. Of course, she still has great appreciation for her gymnastics career and successes. But mostly, she values the platform that the sport gave her.

Thanks to professional gymnastics—and her resulting platform—she has the ability “to make it so kids can go through life and be safe, and adults can feel empowered to speak up and take care of themselves and take care of each other,” Raisman said.