'The Final Five' Win Big, Give Glory to God

Talia Wise
08-10-2016

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The U.S Women's gymnastics team may be small, but their near flawless Olympic performance paid off big. 

"The Final Five" as they've nicknamed themselves, edged out Russia and China by a few tenths of a point, leading the team to victory. 

MORE: Olympic Profiles in Faith

Through the finals Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian, Laurie Hernandez and Simone Biles were focused and confident despite the pressure.

These athletes say it is their faith that they rely on in such high-stakes moments.

"I take my Bible with me, sometimes two of them, when I travel...I always pray at every competition, when the judge's hand goes up I am praying, and there are little Scriptures I like to quote," said Douglas in her memoir "Grace, Gold and Glory: My Leap of Faith." 

Biles leans on her Catholic faith before every big competition. 

 

16-year-old Hernandez says God is always first in her life and she expresses that unwavering faith daily on Twitter.

Hernandez told Athletes in Action that prayer often quells the pressure she feels before a performance. 

"Usually, before I salute the judge I'm able to just grab the event and I pray on it and that really grounds me. For some reason, once I do that, I am able to think clearly and I'm able to calm down right before I compete," she said.

Madison Koucian is not shy about her faith either. She told NBC that she attends church every week and even when she travels to a different country to she tries to attend a service.

Faith is a big part of my life," she said. 

Koucian tweets about her faith as well:

Aly Raisman proudly proclaims her Jewish heritage. Raisman won the gold in the 2012 Olympics in London after performing to "Hava Nagila". She later informed reporters that it was the 40th anniversary of the massacre of 11 Israeli's at the 1972 Munich games.

Raisman and Biles will be the only two competitors who will move on to the all-around competition scheduled Thursday.

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About The Author

Talia
Wise

Talia Wise has served as a multi-media producer for CBNNews.com, CBN Newswatch, The Prayer Link, and CBN News social media outlets. Prior to joining CBN News she worked for Fox Sports Florida producing and reporting. Talia earned a master’s degree in journalism from Regent University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.
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