By Alex Morgan
Apr 22, 2024 Lashay RainThen and Now: The 'Final Five' US Gymnastics team that won gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio"The Final Five" USA Gymnastics squad dominated its competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics.Newcomers Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian joined "Fierce Five" members Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman to win gold in the team all-around event in Rio de Janeiro.The five stars also combined to win seven medals in the individual events — including three golds from Biles — and surged to fame in the process.Take a look back at the dominant "The Final Five" squad from the 2016 Olympics and check out what each member of the team has been up to since.When most of us think of excellence in USA gymnastics, our minds probably first wander to Simone Biles and the 2016 Olympics team dubbed "The Final Five."Laurie Hernandez (center) and her "Final Five" teammates pose with their all-around gold medals. REUTERS/Mike BlakeAnd it's for good reason — Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman led Team USA to gold in the team all-around at the Rio de Janeiro games.Associated PressRaisman and Douglas were the veterans of the group, as they had won gold with "The Fierce Five" in London four years prior.Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesRead more: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The 'Fierce Five' US women's gymnastics team that won gold at the 2012 London OlympicsThey were joined by three newcomers: Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and — of course — Simone Biles.David Ramos/Getty ImagesAltogether, the five gymnasts won seven individual medals in addition to their first-place finish in the team all-around event.REUTERS/Mike BlakeAly Raisman, the captain of the team and its eldest member at 22 years old, won two of the seven individual medals.GETTYShe won silver on the floor exercise and finished second behind Biles in the individual all-around.Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesIn 2017, Raisman came out as one of the many survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.Victim and former gymnast Aly Raisman speaks at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar, (R) a former team USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty in November 2017 to sexual assault charges, in Lansing Thomson ReutersShe became the face of the fight for justice against Nassar and for transparency from USA Gymnastics.Bryan Bedder/GettyRaisman read an impact statement when Nassar was sentenced in 2018, and she filed lawsuits against USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee for failing to protect her and hundreds of other athletes.AP Photo/Rich PedroncelliRead more: Olympic star Aly Raisman files suit against USOC, USA Gymnastics claiming they 'knew or should have known' about abusive doctorShe announced early in 2020 that she wouldn't participate in the Tokyo Olympics, but she vowed to continue fighting to make the sport safer for all young gymnasts.Reuters/Dylan MartinezRead more: Aly Raisman confirms she won't compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in an emotional letter on InstagramLike Raisman, Gabby Douglas already had one Olympics under her belt when she arrived in Rio.AP Photo/Gregory BullBut compared to the 2012 Olympics — when she won gold in the individual all-around — Douglas struggled to break through the crowded field.Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesThanks to a rule that limited the number of athletes from any one team who could compete in the individual all-around, Douglas narrowly missed the opportunity to defend her all-around title from four years prior.AP Photo/Rebecca BlackwellShe qualified for the individual uneven bars final but missed the podium at seventh place.Getty Images/Ronald MartinezStill, Douglas helped the team to its second-consecutive gold in the team all-around event and finished seventh in the uneven bar final that year.AP Photo/Julio CortezIn 2017, she came out as a survivor of Larry Nassar's sexual abuse alongside Raisman.Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesShe stopped training after Rio, and in the years since, she has published an autobiography, spoken at various events, launched a Barbie doll, and much more.APAnd Douglas has since made numerous appearances on television, including appearing on "Undercover Boss" and winning "The Masked Dancer" as Cotton Candy in 2020.Michael Becker/FOXBy far the youngest of the group, Laurie Hernandez made "The Final Five" squad in her first year as a senior gymnast.Laurie Hernandez. REUTERS/Ruben SprichKnown for her expressiveness and nicknamed "The Human Emoji," Hernandez had just turned 16 when the 2016 Olympics began.Charlie Riedel/APSimilar to Douglas in the all-around, Hernandez narrowly missed the individual floor event due to the two athletes per team rule.Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesShe readily qualified for the balance beam finals, finishing second in qualifiers. And she ultimately won silver in the event, edging out Biles in the finals.REUTERS/Mike BlakeHernandez also helped the team to all-around gold with performances on the balance beam, floor, and vault.Getty Images/Ezra ShawSince shining in Rio de Janeiro, Hernandez has made a name for herself outside of the gymnastics sphere. She competed on — and won — "Dancing with the Stars" shortly after the games.Tiffany Rose/WireImageLater, Hernandez appeared on "Celebrity Family Feud" and co-hosted "American Ninja Warrior Junior."Chris Haston/Universal KidsShe's also appeared on a handful of children's television shows, including "Sesame Street."Sesame Street/YouTubeAs if she wasn't busy enough, Hernandez wrote two books in the years immediately following the Olympics.Desiree Navarro/Getty ImagesAnd she's gathered quite a social media following — particularly on TikTok.@lauriehernandez_#gymnastics #olympics 🌿💫♬ Runaway by Aurora - 🌸Despite staying busy outside of the gym, Hernandez opted to pick up training once again after her two-year hiatus.Associated PressRead more: Final Five star Laurie Hernandez says it 'sucked' training for the Olympics after a 2-year gymnastics hiatusShe added some flair to her comeback by making pop-culture references during her routines.AP Photo/Darron CummingsRead more: Laurie Hernandez completed a 'Hamilton'-inspired floor routine in a Captain Marvel leotard during her first gymnastics meet in 5 yearsHernandez had her eye on the Tokyo Olympics, but a knee injury sustained during training kept her from qualifying for Olympic trials.AP Photo/AJ MastMadison Kocian was only 19 when she competed in Rio de Janeiro.Getty Images/Ezra ShawBut unlike Hernandez, she went into the Olympic games with plenty of experience at the senior elite level despite her young age.REUTERS/Damir SagoljKnown as a specialist on the uneven bars, Kocian won gold in the event at the World Championships a year before making "The Final Five."Getty Images/Ezra ShawAnd it wound up being the only individual event she competed in at the Rio games.AP Photo/Tony GutierrezKocian made the most of the opportunity, winning silver behind Russia's Aliya Mustafina.REUTERS/Marko DjuricaIn doing so, she became the first American to medal on the uneven bars since Nastia Liukin won silver eight years earlier.AP Photo/Dmitri LovetskyKocian also carried the US on uneven bars for the team all-around event, helping "The Final Five" to gold.AP Photo/Morry GashKocian enrolled at UCLA a few months after collecting her two Olympic medals in Rio.Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesAnd she debuted for the Bruins' gymnastics team in January of the following year.AP Photo/Kyusung GongShe helped UCLA win a national championship in 2018.AP Photo/Ben LiebenbergThat same year, she and Bruins teammate Kyla Ross told the public that they were survivors of Larry Nassar's sexual abuse.AP Photo/Jeff RobersonSource: APAnd after the COVID-19 pandemic brought her senior season with the Bruins to an abrupt end, Kocian retired from competitive gymnastics.AP Photo/Jeff RobersonSource: ESPNShe has since graduated from UCLA and plans to pursue a career in medicine.A post shared by Madison Kocian (@madison_kocian)Source: Los Angeles Daily NewsRounding out "The Final Five" was another newcomer who you may be familiar with: Simone Biles.AP Photo/Dmitri LovetskyThe 4-foot-8 superstar led the charge for the US, winning four individual medals in her first Olympics appearance.Karim Jaafar/GettyShe won bronze on the balance beam...REUTERS/Mike Blake... and three golds: one on floor, one on vault, and a third in the individual all-around.Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesBiles was undoubtedly Team USA's breakout star from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Simone Biles performs on the beam during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesRead more: 33 jaw-dropping photos of Simone Biles, the most dominant athlete aliveAnd now, she's arguably the United States' top athlete heading into the Tokyo Olympics.AP Photo/Tony GutierrezSomehow, Biles managed to improve upon her already unmatched abilities in the five years after Rio.AP Photo/Tony GutierrezRead more: Simone Biles is the most dominant athlete on the planet, and now she's primed to become the most accomplished Olympian of all timeA feat made even more impressive by the fact that she spent two of those years away from the gym altogether.AP Photo/David J. PhillipIn that span, Biles came forward as one of Larry Nassar's victims — meaning four of the five gymnasts on the US team were among the hundreds he assaulted.COLUMBUS, OH - JULY 28: Simone Biles looks on prior to the 2018 U.S. Classic gymnastics seniors event at Jerome Schottenstein Center on July 28, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesRead more: Simone Biles releases statement saying she was assaulted by former gymnastics team doctor Larry NassarShe returned to competition in 2018 and picked up right where she left off.Tim Bradbury/Getty ImagesRead more: Simone Biles returned from a 2-year break and dominated the national championships in a way that hadn't been seen in 24 yearsShe has four different skills named in her honor — one on vault, one on beam, and two on floor.Simone Biles performs a mind-bending triple-double during her gold medal-winning floor routine Sunday. Kyodo News via Getty ImagesRead more: Stunning slow-motion video of Simone Biles' most impressive stunt on the floor shows her mind-boggling athleticismAnd, at the 2021 US Classic, she completed a vault so dangerous that no woman had ever tried it in competition before her.INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 22: Simone Biles lands the Yurchenko double pike while competing on the vault during the 2021 GK U.S. Classic gymnastics competition at the Indiana Convention Center on May 22, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Biles became the first woman in history to land the Yurchenko double pike in competition. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty ImagesRead more: Simone Biles nailed a vault so dangerous that no woman had ever tried it in competition before herShe's already won more World Championship medals than any other gymnast — man or woman — in the history of her sport.REUTERS/Wolfgang RattayAnd Tokyo will serve as her swan song, with Biles favored to win many of the gymnastics events at the games.AP Photo/Matthias SchraderRead more: We're starting to get a better picture of who will join Simone Biles on Team USA's Olympic gymnastics squadNow check out 33 stunning photos of Biles doing what she does best:Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images33 jaw-dropping photos of Simone Biles, the most dominant athlete alivencG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufony1tMRmnaKmkaF6p7XVnmSuq5FixLC5xKeqZp%2Bporuiv9OimqxlpJqurnmRaWlqZWY%3D←Shark Tank Season 4 week 8 breakdown A 'Love Is Blind' contestant says she regrets panicking when she found out her new fianc was bisex→