Aly Raisman – Needham

Small towns have a way of remembering their citizens who achieve something out of the ordinary.  

That is certainly true for Needham, Massachusetts, and one of its more recent hometown heroes: Aly Raisman.

Aly grew up in Needham and trained for years with relentless discipline before stepping onto the world stage at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. As captain of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, she helped lead the team to a gold medal. Individually, she won gold on floor exercise and bronze on balance beam.  

Her victorious performance in 2012 put Needham on the map in a new way. The town celebrated her achievements by naming a lane in her honor, a quiet way of weaving her story permanently into the fabric of the community.  

Nationally, Kellogg’s honored the Olympic team with their image on special-edition Corn Flakes boxes, placing these young women on breakfast tables across America.   

For Needham, Aly Raisman is a hometown hero whose perseverance lead her from a small New England town to the world stage.