After winning gold for Team USA at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil, gymnasts Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Gabby Douglas, and Madison Kocian, –a.k.a. the “Final Five“– have been unstoppable!
Most recently, the girls (except Douglas, who did not join) got to hang out in The White House, meet the Obamas, and even take over The White House’s Instagram account.
As you’d imagine, 16-year-old Laurie had the time of her life hanging out with LOTUS and POTUS. Here’s everything she and the girls did during their invasion of The White House.
They couldn’t contain their excitement as they stepped into The White House and took over the official Instagram account.
In 2016, when 22-year-old Mexican gymnast Alexa Moreno competed at the Olympic Games in Rio it wasn’t her impeccable skills as an athlete that many focused on. The Olympic competitor took on a feat that few have the chance to do by turning up to the Olympics and place in 31st place that the competition. But critics ignored her impressive skills on the uneven bars, the floor, vault, and beam and instead drilled into her for her body type. According to Today, one user on Twitter at the time wrote of her attendance at the Games saying “Alexa Moreno has the body of two gymnasts, a diet before going to Rio would have been good.”
Three years later, the now 25-year-old athlete has shrugged off nasty comments and is back in the Olympic games, haters be damned.
Latin American and U.S. Latino athletes have given the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world countless moments of joy, pride, and hope. Latin American sportswomen and men usually come from disadvantaged backgrounds so their stories of pride and success inspire us even more. It would be almost impossible to enumerate all the triumphs achieved by Latin American athletes, but we are listing some of the most memorable ones. Sí se puede!
When Diego Armando Maradona scored the infamous but glorious goal known as “La mano de Dios” (“The hand of God”) June 22, 1986, Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, in a quarterfinals game against bitter rivals England
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This has got to be the single most controversial moment in World Cup history. Argentina was facing England in the quarterfinals and Maradona jumped to hit the ball with his head. But thing is, he actually hit it with his hand and the ball penetrated the net. The English were of course appalled, but this event remains one of the most memorable in the long history of joy and drama of the Argentinian national team. We got to also remember that there was some bad blood between Argentina and England at the time, a product of the Falklands War.
When Ana Gabriela Guevara excelled in an Olympic event that was uncharted territory for Latina athletes 2004 Olympic Games, Athens, Greece
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Ana Gabriela Guevara, who is now a very controversial politician, gained notoriety for scoring a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. She competed in 400m, a test that Mexican track athletes don’t generally excel. But she proved that she is one of a kind.
When Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez pulled off a miracle and knocked out Meldrick Taylor in the last few seconds of their championship unification fight March 17, 1990, Las Vegas, Nevada
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In a rare encounter, the world’s two best boxers met for a unification fight. Both were unbeaten and Chávez was heralded as a national hero in his native Mexico. The fight was as tough as it gets, with both boxers sustaining enormous amounts of punishment. With 17 seconds left on the clock and behind in the scorecards Julio César connected with a massive right hand. The contest was stopped with two seconds left: a boxing miracle of the highest order.
When Fernando Valenzuela became a baseball hero and an icon of Mexican-American pride and excellence 1981-1986
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Fernando “El Toro” Valenzuela became an icon of Latino sportsmanship after an excellent 1981 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the first Mexicans to break into the mainstream in the United States. He inspired and continues to inspire, millions of paisanos. He was an All-Star in each season of his incredible 1981-1986 run.
When Gabriela Sabatini demonstrated that Latinas can excel in the tennis court US Open, 1990, Womens’ Tennis champion!
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Tennis is a perilous sport for Latin Americans because it is mostly dominated by the United States and Europe. But Sabatini showed that Latino girls can be ace too! She won the U.S. Open in 1990, defeating the German Stefi Graf. Una dama del deporte blanco en toda la extensión de la palabra.
When Colombian dynamo Nairo Quintana reached the stars on his bike Since 2012
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Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas is perhaps the greatest Colombian cyclist of all time. That is a big claim considering the long and glorious history of the sport in Colombia. Quintana is known for his sustained attacks during steep hills: when most of his adversaries struggle, he has his best performance. He was won multiple stages of the Tour de France and the Giro di Italia.
When Felipe “Tibio” Muñoz swam toward a gold medal and got a whole country celebrating after some pretty traumatizing events 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City
Credit: mexico_68_el_tibio_munoz. Digital image. El Grafico
Prior to the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexicans had experienced a traumatizing event when the army attacked a group of students and civilians who were protesting at the Tlatelolco Square. The country was split emotionally and politically. But then came “El Tibio” and at least for a brief moment, the country was united behind a young man who swam his way to a gold medal. The memory of his accomplishment is still brought up today when thinking of the greatest sporting moments in Latin American history.
When Ecuadorian athlete Jefferson Perez won an Olympic gold medal in the Atlanta Olympic Games Atlanta Olympic Games, 1996
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Ecuador doesn’t have a strong Olympic team, and medals have been few and far in between. That is why Jefferson Perez is a standout in the sporting history of this proud South American nation. During the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Perez did the unthinkable. As Rihannon Walker writes in The Undefeated: “Ecuador’s Jefferson Pérez, Russia’s Ilya Markov and Mexico’s Bernardo Segura struggled to find separation from one another as they neared the finish of the 20-kilometer walk at the 1996 Olympics. Then Pérez began to take advantage of having the youngest legs of the trio and powered himself into the lead. As a crowd of 85,000 waited to see who would be the first to appear at Olympic Stadium, Pérez made a dramatic solo entrance and finished in 1 hour, 20 minutes and 7 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the 20-km event at 22. His victory also secured Ecuador’s first Olympic medal.” Just wow, a moment to remember forever.
When Teófilo Stevenson reigned supreme in amateur boxing. Viva Cuba! 1972, 1975, and 1980 Olympic Games in Munich, Montreal, and Moscow
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In the 1970s Muhammad Ali was the greatest name in heavyweight boxing, but he was perhaps not the best. Many believe that amateur legend Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba would have beat the great Ali. But, alas, Cuban boxers were not allowed to turn professional and a fight between the two never materialized. Stevenson’s amateur career extended 20 years, from 1969 to 1986. He won a total of three gold medals, un logro extraordinario.
When “Las espectaculares morenas del Caribe” Cuban female volleyball team captured the world’s imagination and won three consecutive Olympic gold medals Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
Credit: AAuFzt9. Digital image. MSN.
This group of amazing Cuban ladies totally dominated volleyball for three Olympic Games, and then won the bronze in their fourth attempt. Puro Cuba!
When Costa Rican swimmer Claudia Poll surprised everyone and became a national icon Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games
Credit: AAuFGZl. Digital image. MSN
This amazing woman was born in Nicaragua but later became a Costa Rican citizen. She won a gold medal in the Atlanta Games (a big year for Latino athletes!) and is considered the greatest sports figure in the history of the Central American nation. She also won two bronze medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. A true force of nature.
