It’s been 12 years since the USA gymnastics team made history at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, claiming the women’s team’s second gold medal. The women’s team of Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber, known as the Fab Five, were indeed a part of a remarkable feat achieved.

So why does this prominence come today after so many years? Aly Raisman, the former gymnast, is coming as a new inspiration for two of the emerging and young star athletes of today, coming from two different sports backgrounds. While one has the personality of a wrestler, the other is an emerging American gymnast. Taking inspiration from gymnastics, the wrestler, however, carries a history as a gymnast.

Tiffany Stratton inspired by the 2012 gymnastics team

Tiffany Stratton ended her soccer career for gymnastics. Yes, you heard that right! The rising star, who is currently gaining prominence in WWE, carries a former personality as a gymnast too. Dating back 12 years, Tiffany’s interest in gymnastics comes with her inspiration drawn from the 2012 Olympics gymnastics team.

In one of her past interviews, Stratton, whose real name comes as Jessica Woynilko, states about her past life in high school and how her interest in gymnastics took over her soccer program. “For that. Um, and I ended up having to quit soccer to join gymnastics because, I think I saw, I watched the 2012 Olympics. Okay. I was like, I want to do that. So, um, told my mom, I was like, I want to use masters into soccer.”

For Tiffany, it was a credit to the 2012 Olympics gymnastics team, who attracted her attention towards the sport. Watching the performances of the Fab Five team of Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber, the wrestler immersed herself as a gymnast with her home workouts alongside her dad and grew up stronger than before. Her career as a gymnast came pretty naturally to her.

“So, um, I started getting gymnastics and I was already pretty strong my whole life because um, growing up, I was lifted with my dad in our basement like he was always doing p90x and like jump in with him and do the workouts with him so, he’s really strong growing up so gymnastics came very easy I didn’t have much fear I just would go for stuff and just chuck it and hope for the best and it ended up working out for the most part.”

Growing of her interest at the age of 11, Tiffany’s emergence as a gymnast saw a setback, but it was the 2012 Olympic Games performance of the USA gymnastics team where she grew back, with Aly Raisman coming as an inspiration. The gold medal win gave her the drive and encouragement to make herself interested in gymnastics and to showcase herself at the highest possible level.

As one of the top three gymnasts in the country in 2016, Jessica, aka Tiffany’s, prominence as a gymnast took off with her first appearance in the Winter Classic event, followed by her participation at the US Gymnastics Championship. However, an unexpected turn of events led her to quit her career in gymnastics after suffering from an injury in the double mini trampoline event. With her dream of a national appearance for Team USA coming true, the seriousness of the leg fracture caused by delay and stress further held her back from continuing her career as a gymnast.

But finding herself in the wrestling ring in 2021, it was the 2024 NXT Women’s Championship Tournament win where Tiffany now emerges as a wrestler while currently holding a women’s briefcase from the Money in the Bank PLE event of July 2024. While her gymnastics career couldn’t take off much, Livvy Dune’s career as a gymnast is coming off with greatness. The American gymnast reunion with a 2012 Olympics Team USA gymnastics member, however, carries inspiration and a coincident meet between the two.

The gymnastics reunion of 12 years

Livvy Dunne and her idol have reunited after 12 years. Livvy’s participation in the NCAA Women Gymnastics Championships representing the LSU Tigers came with an unexpected interaction with her gymnastics hero, whom she had been admiring since 2012. Taking over her Instagram account, the American gymnast took over the attention of fans after sharing a selfie alongside her idol and former gymnast, Aly Raisman. “Guys … I just touched Aly Raisman again!” But how does it come again?

Dating back 12 years ago, Livvy got her first click alongside Raisman weeks after the 2012 Olympics were held in London. In the throwback photo of her teenage days, Dunne held an autographed picture of Aly as she stood beside her. The caption of the picture read, “I can’t believe it, I touched Aly Raisman.”

Not only for Tiffany Stratton but for Livvy too, the 2012 Olympics gymnastics team member comes inspirational. Aly Raisman’s importance, reflected by the two emerging stars, comes with respect to the fact that the former gymnast has two gold medals, one for the USA team and her individual event in the floor exercise routine, along with an added bronze medal win in the balance beam. While she gains prominence, the former gymnast now serves as a broadcaster of ESPN’s NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship event, which led her to an unexpected meetup with Livvy Dunne.

Entering the last year of her collegiate days with the LSU Tigers, the 21-year-old is, however, set to make another promising year with her goal now set towards claiming another NCAA championship for the team. Jessica Woynilko, who earned herself the ring name Tiffany Stratton, comes with prominence and is coming off great as a 25-year-old wrestler in WWE.