Gymnast Aly Raisman speaks about finding ‘magic’ in life after experiencing assault

‘I’ve learnt that you can wake up and live every day as if it’s a miracle,’ Olympic gold medallist says

Retired gymnast Aly Raisman has discussed the importance of continuing to seek out “magic” in life after surviving traumatic events.

In January 2018, Raisman was one of a number of American gymnasts who spoke out about suffering sexual assault at the hands of disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar.

Raisman recounted her experience in court, describing Nassar as “pathetic” to his face.

In a new interview with Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb, the 25-year-old said that she has done “a lot of work” on herself, including regular “self-reflection”.

“I think it’s a normal thing, some days you wake up in the morning and you feel ‘blah’ and you don’t feel that great, and then there’s other days where you feel really good,” the Olympic gold medallist said.

“I think I’ve learnt that you can wake up and live every day as if it’s a miracle. Everything you see is really special and try to be present and cherish the moments.”

Kotb then addressed the fact that sometimes when a person experiences trauma, they “cease believing in magic”.

“Something bad happens and all of a sudden the light goes behind your eyes,” the television presenter said. “How do you keep believing in possibility when you know that those kinds of things have happened?”

Raisman explained that she feels “different” on a daily basis.

“I’ve done so much therapy, I continue to do therapy, working on myself and just finding things that make me feel good,” the former Olympic captain said.

“I’m trying to make it a goal where every morning I wake up before the sun rises and every night I’m going to make sure that I’m present to watch the sun set because it’s such a beautiful thing to experience.”

Raisman added that she believes the “most magical moments” in life are “the most simple ones when you’re in nature and just being really present”.

“I really have a lot of anxiety, and that’s when you’re not present. So I think it’s just finding things that make me feel the magic and make me feel better,” she stated.

“I don’t feel like that all the time – it’s a constant reminder, and it’s a journey of working on yourself.”