London Olympics Hometown Heroes: Aly Raisman

Years of hard work have turned Aly Raisman into a star member of team U.S.A. And the Needham gymnast is the talk of the town in London.

Keep your eye on this rising star.

Eighteen-year-old Aly Raisman has made a big name for herself in the world of gymnastics. And hopefully even a bigger one now on the Olympic stage.

“The Olympics is just such a dream of mine, obviously. I've always, always wanted to go there and every since I can remember, I always just, always aspired to be an Olympian,” Raisman said.

Aly grew up in Needham, the oldest of four.

She has two little sisters Chloe and Madison, and a 15-year-old brother Brett.

And don't forget her babies, Coco and Magic.

The 2012 Needham high graduate went to the school through her junior year then opted for online classes her senior year. She needed to train full time.

“Being a gymnast you have to be really, really tough and I think that I, kind of, take that into my everyday life,” Raisman said.

Her parent's Rick and Lynn are in awe of their daughter's work ethic.

“She trains really hard, she works so hard. So, of course we want the best outcome for her,” said Lynn Raisman, Aly’s mother.

And dad says she handles the pressure so well for her age.

“I think that she's so mentally strong that she tries to have it just roll off her. So, we just keep her grounded and she kind of knows how to handle it,” said Rick Raisman.

Mom may have even jumpstarted Aly's career when she took her to Mommy and Me gymnastics class when Aly was just 18 months old.

“My mom did high school gymnastics. And she had always loved it, and she just wanted me to try. I always had a lot of energy and it was kind of just like the perfect fit," Raisman said.

Now she trains under world renowned coaches Mihai and Sylvie Brestyan.

When Aly has some down time, she loves to shop online and she's a huge sports fan.

“Yeah, my favorite Boston sport is definitely the Bruins. My favorite player is Tyler Seguin,” Raisman said.

But right now all her focus is on the Olympics and taking home a medal.

“And I was daydreaming about, just team finals and just hopefully having that team gold around all of our necks,” Raisman said. “You work for it your whole life, so if that were able to come true, that would be the most amazing thing ever."

Aly's entire family flew to London to watch her compete.

So mom, dad, her brother and two sisters are all there cheering her on.