At the age of 21, Aly Raisman is the elder stateswoman of the United States gymnastic team. Over the weekend, she began her mission to prove that younger is not always better on the beams.
Making her return to competition, Raisman placed third at the U.S. Women's National Championships, finishing behind first-place Simone Biles and second-place Maggie Nichols. Biles has now won three straight national championships, and the 18-year-old will enter the 2016 Rio Games as a prohibitive gold-medal favorite.
Raisman, meanwhile, had a weekend filled with highs and lows. Thursday's nadir of falling off the beam was followed by an otherwise strong weekend, as Raisman looked far better than most would have expected after her long layoff.