Keeping Up with the Final Five

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The Final Five after winning team gold in Rio (www.nbcolympics.com)

It’s been approximately one month since the final day of competition for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Team.  Known as the “Final Five,” Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and Madison Kocian took home the team gold medal. Fame is fleeting, but these five ladies are definitely keeping up their appearances!  Lately, they’ve been on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and are nearing the start of their Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastic Champions.  Additionally, members Laurie, Aly, and Madison have each had the chance to throw the first pitch at MLB games for each team of their respective hometowns.  

One fun event for the girls was when they attended the MTV Video Music Awards.  Not only did they present musical icon Beyoncé with the award for best female video, but they also had the opportunity to fangirl over all the other celebrities they met, including Kim and Kanye, Ariana Grande, and John Legend to name a few. Gabby Douglas, the all around champion in the London 2012 Games, was unable to attend due to an unknown illness that left her in the hospital.  She sent the girls good luck over social media, and has since recuperated.

While it’s hard to imagine the five seemingly sweet girls involved in any controversy, Simone Biles recently made headlines for potential drug use enhancing her performance.  While watching, many people questioned if she was too good to be true.  In the past week, Bile’s medical reports have been released, and they listed the name of a drug she used to control her ADHD.  Drugs like these are usually banned, yet the 4’11 gymnast received legal approval via a medical waiver.  After the allegations, Simone Biles spoke out on twitter by saying she “always followed the rules” and “believes in clean sport.”  So for any doubters out there judging the authenticity of this statement, these drugs were not taken as stimulants to improve her overall performance.

 
Who knows which of these five phenoms will return to the 2020 Tokyo Games?  Whatever happens, they are all still on the road to pursuing more greatness.