Aly Raisman Begins Olympic Ascent with Comeback at US National Championships

At the age of 21, Aly Raisman is the elder stateswoman of the United States gymnastic team. Over the weekend, she began her mission to prove that younger is not always better on the beams.

Making her return to competition, Raisman placed third at the U.S. Women's National Championships, finishing behind first-place Simone Biles and second-place Maggie Nichols. Biles has now won three straight national championships, and the 18-year-old will enter the 2016 Rio Games as a prohibitive gold-medal favorite.

Raisman, meanwhile, had a weekend filled with highs and lows. Thursday's nadir of falling off the beam was followed by an otherwise strong weekend, as Raisman looked far better than most would have expected after her long layoff.

"I think the fall (on Thursday) kind of woke me up a bit," Raisman told reporters. "I realized that you have to be aggressive out there. If you let your legs shake and wobble, you'll fall."

Raisman, who took two golds at the 2012 London Games, made her return alongside all-around gold medalist Gabby Douglas. Douglas, who would be the first repeat all-around winner in decades, placed fifth at the national championship. She consistently struggled on the beam, earning a score of only 14.2.

Raisman's floor exercises have long been among the best in the world, so she'll need to continue improving her scores if she qualifies for the Olympics. That's no guarantee. Douglas, Biles and Nichols loom as near-locks, and McKayla Maroney's status is still up in the air. 

"I'm 21 and I'll be 22 in the Olympics year [2016 Rio Games]. If I make the team, I'll be the oldest U.S. gymnast," Raisman told Morty Ain of ESPN.com. "My body is a little bit more achy than it was before, but at the same time I feel like I'm smarter now and able to understand the recovery process. I always joke that I'm 21 going on 50."

There is still time remaining for Raisman to get back into full form, but not as much as it may seem. The Worlds in Scotland are two months away, and we're less than a year away from team trials for the Rio Games.

"I have to learn when I’m actually competing to feel a little more confident," Raisman said, per Team USA's Chros McDougall. "Hopefully that will come with a little more experience being back. Even though I have a lot of experience, I kind of feel like a little junior for the first time out there."

In that way, this weekend proved to be a solid barometer of where Raisman is at among her competition. Third-place finishes in the Olympic stage are admirable, while third place inside her own country leaves something to be desired. Given the fact that her difficulty scores were still relatively high and she has two months to clean up her mistakes, look for Raisman to make a statement at the World Games