Needham Gymnast Starts Strong at Nationals

Needham gymnast Alexandra Raisman finished second in the all-around women's gymnastics competition on the first day of the 2011 Visa Championships, Thursday, Aug. 18.

Raisman, 17, attends and trains with Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, based in Burlington. In July, she earned the title of 2011 CoverGirl Classic all-around champion.

Raisman ended the first day of the women’s competition at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN with an all-around score of 58.000, a combination of her scores in the floor exercise (14.800), vault (15.050) and balance beam (14.700), according to a news release published on the USA Gymnastics Web site, usa-gymnastics.org.

“Raisman's floor routine was highlighted by a spectacular one-and-a-half twist through to an Arabian double front to punch front, the only gymnast in the world to compete the tumbling pass,” according to the news release.

The evening’s top scorer was Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., who had a score of 58.850.

At the 2011 Visa Championships, the country’s top gymnasts compete for national titles and spots on the U.S. National Team in men’s, women’s and rhythmic gymnastics. The team will be competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The women’s competition will conclude on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Want to watch? Tune in to see Raisman in action via Universal Sports or NBC Sports channels.