“Stroke-like symptoms” was how Aly Raisman described the frightening episodes that once left her unable to speak or move normally. On another occasion, she said she experienced complete body paralysis and spent three days in the hospital. Yet those terrifying moments were only part of a much longer struggle with her health, one she now traces back to 24 years of pushing her body to its limits as an elite gymnast.

During an interview Sept. 16, 2026, with Healthful with Norah O’Donnell, Raisman explained that she started to train around six days a week at the age of nine or 10. Some days were four hours long, some were six and a half hours or even seven and a half hours. “It was very exhausting,” Raisman said, explaining that she does not even feel her body has completely recovered despite it being 10 years since she last competed.

In her own words, for years she just ignored what her body was telling her. Training, competing, and getting to the level required to be an Olympic champion was the priority. She wasn’t someone who was comfortable putting rest as a priority. That all changed when her gymnastics career came to an end in 2020.

But then, Raisman said the exhaustion eventually became so severe that she would sometimes lose her train of thought while speaking publicly. At 23 or 24, she recalled stopping in the middle of conversations because she could no longer remember what she had been saying. She also spoke about suffering from severe headaches and being hospitalized on multiple occasion. “My body completely just gave up on me,” Raisman said.

One of the most frightening examples came after she had stepped away from competitive gymnastics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Raisman experienced what she described as stroke-like symptoms and was taken to the hospital. She said she could not move her arms or legs and could barely speak. Because of COVID restrictions, her mother was not allowed to accompany her in the ambulance, leaving Raisman frightened as two male paramedics transported her to the hospital.

About a year and a half later, Raisman experienced another frightening episode in which she said she became unable to move her body. She described experiencing complete body paralysis, saying she could not even move her fingers or walk. She spent three days in the hospital and needed help with basic movements afterward. Doctors tested Raisman for a possible stroke because of the severity of her symptoms. She later described the episodes as being connected to overwhelming stress and unresolved trauma, rather than saying she had actually suffered a stroke. 

Looking back, Raisman said she eventually had to learn something she had struggled with for years: listening to her body. She recalled seeing a saying online that stayed with her: “If you do not pick a day to rest, your body will pick it for you.”

For someone who spent years being taught to push through exhaustion, learning to rest did not happen overnight. But Raisman said she has finally reached a point where she no longer feels guilty for taking care of herself. Those lessons, however, came from years of listening to her body the hard way, including moments when she was still competing and expected to keep pushing.

Aly Raisman reached the top, but the journey came with a cost

Raisman’s love for gymnastics started when she was just 2 years old in 1996. And soon that childhood activity turned into something much bigger. By 2009, she was competing at the U.S. Championships as a junior, and the following year, she stepped onto the senior international stage and began making a name for herself. Her rise was quick. Raisman helped the U.S. win team silver at the 2010 World Championships before becoming part of the gold-medal-winning team at the 2011 Worlds. 

Then came London. At just 18, Raisman became an Olympic champion at the 2012 Games. She helped the U.S. win team gold, won another gold on floor exercise and took bronze on balance beam. 

After the 2012 Olympics, Raisman stepped away from competition for a while. She returned in 2015 with her sights set on another Olympics, even as her body struggled to adjust to the demands of elite training again. She later recalled being “so sore for a year and a half” during that comeback. There was another major setback in December 2015.

While warming up on floor exercise at a national team camp, Raisman partially tore ligaments in her left ankle. She was put in a walking boot and told to stay off the ankle for four weeks. At a time when she was fighting for a place on the 2016 Olympic team, the injury made her question whether she should keep going. Raisman came back and later became a part of the Rio team.

She earned team gold at the 2016 Olympics, and topped off the medals with individual golds in all-around and floor exercises. Those three medals gave her a total of six from the Olympics: three golds, two silvers, and one bronze. However, as Raisman continued to compete and receive medals, she was also experiencing some physical symptoms caused by the sport. Ultimately, she retired in 2020.