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Laurie Hernandez is renowned for both her elegance and skill on the balance beam as well as her stunning floor performances. She also goes by the moniker "The Human Emoji" due to her animated facial expressions.
Hernandez missed the Olympic trials and eventually the Tokyo Olympics due to an injury she sustained during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.
Reason behind Laurie Hernandez's withdrawal from Tokyo Olympics
Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez gained notoriety in 2016 after participating in Team USA's "Final Five" at the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Hernandez, a Puerto Rican-born New Jersey native, served as an example to all Latinos who felt excluded from American athletics.
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First, the COVID-19 epidemic forced the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Then, in June, while preparing for a rescheduled 2021 match, Hernandez, then 21 years old, overstretched her knee during a warm-up. She was ruled out of the US Olympic Trials and had no chance of competing in Tokyo because of the injury.
Hernandez stated in a USA Today interview,
“Sometimes things just happen and it’s really, really irritating.”
Hernandez said she was content with the circumstances despite the significant setback.
“Things like this happen, unfortunately, to a lot of people and it’s not just in the gymnastics world. It’s many sports, it’s many jobs and hobbies.”
Laurie Hernandez's Career till now
Artistic gymnast Lauren Zoe Hernandez was born in the United States on June 9, 2000. Hernandez was born in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. Her parents are Anthony and Wanda Hernandez.
She attended Old Bridge, New Jersey's Abeka Academy High School. She has a brother named Marcus and a sister named Jelysa, who both earned degrees from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in 2018.
When Laurie was six years old, she began gymnastics because she wanted to feel like a bird. When she joined Monmouth Gymnastics in New Jersey, she met her coach there, and the two of them quickly established a winning team.
While Laurie's advancement was halted as a result of many injuries in 2014, that year marked a turning point in her career. She made a triumphant comeback by winning the US junior national championship in 2015. Among Laurie's other professional accomplishments are bronze medals in the all-round, floor exercise, beam, and uneven bars at the 2016 national championships.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the American team took home the gold. Laurie Hernandez won the silver medal in the individual competition on the balancing beam. She resumed training in late 2018 and indicated an interest in making a comeback to qualify for the Olympic Gymnastics Trials, but was unable to make the U.S. women's gymnastics squad for the Tokyo Games in 2021.
What's next for Laurie Hernandez?
Laurie Hernandez stated in a USA Today interview that she wants to pursue theater in college. She is submitting applications to USC, Columbia, Northwestern, NYU, and Carnegie-Mellon. She no longer approaches gymnastics and competitions with the same people-pleasing attitude as she had in the past.
“If I’m doing anything, it has to be for me.”
Hernandez further added how she wants to enjoy the journey. She said,
“It cannot be to beat anyone. Or do it because it’ll make other people happy or do it because I feel pressure from other people or from myself. It has to be purely because I think I’ll enjoy it, or a certain result and journey might make me feel really good.”
