Needham Olympian Aly Raisman Shows Off Nude Body for ESPN

Photo Credit: ESPN The Magazine

Needham native and Olympic gold medalist, Aly Raisman, posed almost completely nude for all the world to see in ESPN The Magazine’s yearly Body Issue.

The five-foot-2, 115-pound Raisman, is one of several famous athletes to appear in the latest issue of the magazine. Raisman, now 21, spoke to ESPN about her life, career and intense amount of work she puts into preparing her body for competition.

“You work your whole life for a minute-and-a-half beam routine. I work out six days, 32 hours a week for the dream of competing at the Olympics again. Everything that I put into my body is for the purpose of gymnastics,” Raisman said.

Raisman won an gold medal as a member of Team USA during the 2012 Games, but she’s unsure about competing in Rio at next summer’s Olympics.

“Every day is a challenge,” she says. “Even though at the 2012 Olympics we were so happy to win the gold medal, every day is not like that. I think people don’t understand that; people don’t see that side of the sport — the frustration, how much it takes a toll on your body, and mentally as well,” Raisman said.

Raisman also went on talk about how she’s learned to “love” her muscles after years of feeling “insecure.”

The Body Issue was released online Thursday and will be on newsstands July 10.