NEW YORK – Laurie Hernandez hardly considers her 14 months away from competitive gymnastics a break.
Since earning Olympic team gold and balance beam silver in Rio, the 17-year-old won “Dancing with the Stars,” authored a book and even enrolled in ballet lessons.
But her most rewarding experience has been speaking at schools. Students have asked her seemingly every question, from when she started taking gymnastics classes (age 5) to whether she climbed trees when she was younger (yes, all the time).
Seeing how many children were inspired by her Rio performance motivated Hernandez as she prepares to return to the sport.