Following the Same Career As Legend, Aly Raisman Pens Beautiful Letter to Olympian Kathy Johnson Clarke

In the gymnastics world, Legends pass the torch to the next generation, earning them the respect that always shines bright. Such an incident took place, when Aly Raisman shared an emotional message to Kathy Johnson Clarke, who recently announced her retirement from gymnastics commentary. Aly Raisman, a 2X Olympian, following the path of Kathy Johnson, recently started her stint as a commentator. 

Raisman, took to her social media to pen down how Kathy has inspired her beyond the bars, beams, and vaults. She gave a special mention to those days when Raisman was considering starting her commentary career.

The words of gratitude and warmth

Aly Raisman shared her words through a story on her Instagram and wrote, “@kjcgym, thank you for your dedication & all you have given to gymnastics. You always bring so much love & joy to the sport”. The 2×Olympian reminded everyone, “Your weekly commentary will be missed!” Expressing her gratitude, she said, “Thank you for always being so kind & supportive of me throughout my career”. In that relation, Raisman revealed the support she received from Kathy in her commentary stint as well.

Aly Raisman, joined as the NCAA Gymnastics commentator on ESPN debuted on 19th Jan 2024. During that time, she had said, “I’m so excited. If I’m being honest, I’m also very nervous because I want to do a good job.” It was Kathy Johnson who motivated and encouraged the Olympian. “When I told you I wanted to try commentating you were gracious with your time, and your support gave me confidence when I was nervous,” Aly Raisman wrote. Notably, the retirement of Kathy Johnson Clarke involves a not-so-favorable backstory.

Kathy Johnson leaves, feeling demotivated

Kathy Johnson Clarke, who is an Olympic bronze medalist and a world champion, stepped into the world of commentary, working for ESPN and ABC Network. This season the NCAA gymnastics realm was flooded with record-high scores and perfect tens. This raised the eyebrows of some veterans. Kathy was one of those. Along with others, she also called for a radical change in the NCAA scoring pattern to uphold the quality of the sport. But that went unheard.

Read More: Taking On New Role, Champion Gymnast Aly Raisman Reflects on the Lasting Impact of Standing Against Abuse: ‘People Will Share’

Demoralized, Kathy wrote on her x, “I tried and failed spectacularly well to inspire and initiate constructive critique and conversation about this dynamic.” Therefore came the inevitable. In a further post, she declared her retirement writing, “I am retiring because I am being retired as irrelevant, a relic from the past.” Not only her camaraderie with her fellow gymnasts, but her sense of integrity will also linger in the gymnastics realm for a long time.

Also Read: “Takes More Than Knowledge”: As Aly Raisman Begins ESPN Journey, Former Olympian’s Career Shift Sparks Debate on Her Credentials