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Introduction

Laurie Hernandez is a U.S. gymnast. She competed on the women’s gymnastics team at the 2016 Olympic Games. She earned a team gold medal and an individual silver medal on the balance beam.

Early Life

Lauren Zoe Hernandez was born on June 9, 2000, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up in Old Bridge, New Jersey. She began gymnastics in 2005 after she grew bored of ballet. Hernandez progressed through the skill levels and had her first elite competition at the junior level in 2012. That year she placed 11th at the U.S. Classic and 21st at the national championships. She suffered some injuries, but her performance continued to improve. She won the all-around title at the 2015 U.S. Classic and the 2015 national championships.

Career

Hernandez moved to the senior elite (the highest) level of competitive gymnastics in 2016. That year she proved her skill and ability in a number of competitions. At the Olympic trials in July, she placed second in the all-around and was named to the Olympic team. She became the second U.S.-born Latina to be on the U.S. women’s Olympics gymnastics team. Hernandez was the youngest gymnast on the team by three years, but she helped her team win the team gold medal and won an individual silver medal on the beam.

Hernandez took a break from gymnastics after the Olympics. She appeared on television shows and provided the voice for the animated series Middle School Moguls. She chronicled her life in the book I Got This: To Gold and Beyond (2017) and also released a children’s picture book titled She’s Got This (2018). Hernandez was honored for her accomplishments by her home state when she was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2018.

In 2019 Hernandez began training for competitions again. She competed in her first competition in February 2021 at the Winter Cup. Hernandez is also outspoken about the importance of athletes’ mental health.

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