Raisman’s friends fired up about her gold medal win

NEEDHAM, Mass. (WHDH) -- Friends say Aly Raisman has the perfect balance; being an Olympic super star in London and a dear friend at home in Needham.

Click here to see what Aly's friends had to say on 7NBC's Olympic Zone

“I hold my breath and I get really nervous. I’m like, ‘Oh come on you can do it,’ trying to talk to her but she clearly can’t hear me,” said Kristi Carlson, Aly’s friend.

They cheered her on as she flawlessly flipped and flew through the air to win gold on the floor exercise.

“A lot of her Jewish friends like her Hava Nagila routine. They think that’s amazing,” said Aaron Segel, Aly’s friend.

They tried to stay calm as she tackled the beam after last week's upset, coming in fourth.

But this time, she'll be coming home with bronze.

These classmates who've known her for years remember a physical fitness test when they knew she was special.

“A lot of us couldn’t do any and she was able to do like 40, 50 pull ups or something ridiculous like that,” Segel said.

Every time they see Aly nailing a routine or sticking a landing, they're reminded to them, she's just Aly. But to the world, she's the most decorated gymnast at the London Olympics.

“What she does, I can't even relate to what that feels like. I can’t even imagine how scary that must be. It’s just amazing to see someone do something that you don’t even think is physically possible day in and day out, and she deserves every bit of glory,” said David Kaplan, Aly’s friend.

Her friends have now turned their focus to planning a welcome-home party for Aly.

Click here to see what Aly's friends had to say on 7NBC's Olympic Zone