It has been precisely ten years since Workforce USA received the gold medal on the 2012 Olympics. The 2012 workforce that includes Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber was collectively often known as the “Fierce 5.”
It’s surprising to consider how rapidly time flies and most TMC readers most likely really feel like this second occurred solely yesterday. However one of the best issues about gymnastics, it at all times produces essentially the most inspiring athletes. Athletes who impress you with the athletic feats they show on the Olympics, athletes who impress you outdoors of competitors within the effort they provide to be function fashions for the younger followers. However most gymnasts will proceed to impress lengthy after they retire, after they transition out of the game and discover new profession paths to excel in.
The 2012 workforce was all of that. And within the ten years since, time has confirmed how precious they had been to the game, and the way succesful they’re with regards to excelling outdoors of sports activities. We noticed their abilities as athletes, now we’re seeing their different skills as they discovered success in thrilling new profession paths.
Most significantly, these had been 5 gymnasts you would be proud to cheer for. They might at all times be depended upon to make the correct selections, deal with others with respect, and the game is healthier due to their contributions to it. They had been additionally one of the effectively rounded groups the game has ever skilled.
Most groups are a combination between extremely embellished gymnasts and gymnasts who go their complete profession with out ever successful a medal in a person occasion on the World Championships or Olympic stage (Group-1). The 2012 Fierce 5 was completely different. Each single member received a number of medals within the particular person occasions. Each member of the workforce both received gold in a person occasion, or has a number of medals within the extremely prestigious All-Round. The least embellished member of this workforce has 4 profession medals, three of that are gold.
The 2012 Fierce 5 wasn’t a lot a legendary workforce, however a group of gymnasts who every introduced their very own legend to the desk.
Aly Raisman: The oldest member of the workforce, Aly would go on to develop into a 2x Olympian and a 6x Olympic medalist. Since 1984 she is one in every of solely three gymnasts to win a number of Olympic medals on flooring. Raisman would even be an impressive All-Arounder having received a silver medal in 2016, and solely narrowly lacking out on one other in 2012 attributable to tiebreaking guidelines.
Jordyn Wieber: In 2011 Jordyn grew to become an All-Round Champion, the equal of being thought of the highest ranked athlete in any explicit yr. Jordyn completed because the #4 ranked gymnast of the 2012 Olympics, however as a result of two of her teammates completed forward of her, Jordyn was unable to advance attributable to nation limits.
McKayla Maroney: On the peak of her profession followers had been treating Maroney as the best vaulter the game had ever seen. Whereas Simone Biles would later take that title, it needs to be remembered that in the one occasion Simone and McKayla ever competed immediately in opposition to one another in a Group-1 competitors, McKayla received. Maroney is the one member of the 2012 workforce who didn’t win an All-Round medal in her profession. However she was a robust All-Arounder in her junior days who was solely compelled into the function of a specialist due to accidents and Workforce USA’s depth chart.
Gabby Douglas: She grew to become the 2012 Olympic All-Round Champion and one of many largest family names gymnastics has ever had. In 2015 she grew to become the primary gymnast since Elena Davydova in 1981 to win a second All-Round medal in Group-1 competitors whereas being the reigning Olympic Champion. Gabby’s look on the 2016 Olympics marked a historic comeback that was so uncommon for Olympic All-Round Champions, the final Olympic All-Round Champion to do it was Nadia Comaneci in 1980. Gabby’s third place end in All-Round qualifying on the 2016 Olympics was one of the historic accomplishments in trendy gymnastics historical past. However nation limits prevented her from competing in All-Round Finals the place she might have contended for a medal.
Kyla Ross: The youngest member of the workforce and hadn’t but reached her full kind on the 2012 Olympics, Ross would return to the game with a vengeance in later years. On the 2013 World Championships she received silver medals on 3 of 5 occasions. If not for Simone Biles, Kyla would have develop into an All-Round Champion that yr. In 2014 she completed the extremely prestigious feat of being a 2x All-Round medalist. Ross was on observe to develop into one of the profitable gymnasts of the 2013-2016 Olympic cycle earlier than a development spurt hindered her profession on the elite-level. As a substitute, Ross would transition to the NCAA stage the place she continued her run of success.
What makes the story of the Fierce 5 so particular is who they competed in opposition to. The Individuals introduced residence the gold medal whereas competing in opposition to one of many hardest Russian lineups ever assembled. Within the factors system, Russian gymnasts from the 2012 Olympics completed 2nd, third, and 4th within the all-decade rankings for 2010-2019. The Individuals wanted an All-Star American lineup to prevail and the Fierce 5 delivered.
It additionally occurred whereas the gymnasts in query needed to endure horrific circumstances and members of the Fierce 5 took energetic roles in curbing abuse tradition throughout the sport. For a workforce that discovered so many various methods to win the love of followers, the Fierce 5’s function in pioneering a tradition change and dealing to finish abuse in gymnastics was yet another addition to the checklist of causes they’re so extensively revered.
The 2012 workforce of Wieber, Maroney, Raisman, Douglas, and Ross has a excessive standing within the gymnastics group. This workforce is extensively liked as a result of they characterize legendary athletic success, carried out themselves in ways in which made them personally likable, and labored to stop future gymnasts from being harmed.
Ten years later, we proceed to see what else they’re able to, what different fields they will excel in, and the skills which have that we didn’t learn about again in 2012.
Aly Raisman grew to become one of the highly effective anti-abuse advocates within the sport. Jordyn Wieber grew to become the top coach of an SEC program at an unprecedently younger age in trendy NCAA historical past. Kyla Ross had a profitable faculty profession at UCLA, graduated from one in every of most prestigious tutorial manufacturers within the nation, and is at present gaining expertise as an assistant coach immediately beneath Wieber and can seemingly develop into a head coach herself someday.
McKayla Maroney is attempting out her enterprise abilities by constructing a private wellness model and nonetheless stays profitable on her social media platforms. And at last, Gabby Douglas who walked away with a lot fame from the 2012 Olympics, it wouldn’t make sense for her to observe any conventional profession path. As a substitute, she enjoys life on the ranch and elevating animals (cows and llamas) in between her appearances on celeb tv exhibits.
