What is Laurie Hernandez's Net Worth?
Laurie Hernandez is an American artistic gymnast who has a net worth of $2 million. Laurie Hernandez is best known for being a member of the United States women's gymnastics team for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Hernandez had been a member of the national team since 2012 and won a Gold Medal at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships. She committed to the University of Florida but decided to forgo her NCAA eligibility in 2014 to become a professional and compete in the Olympics.
Early Life
Hernandez was born on June 9, 2000 in Costa Mesa, California. She is the daughter of Wanda and Anthony Hernandez, both of whom are from Puerto Rico. She grew up with her sister, Jelysa, and her brother, Marcus, and attended Abeka Academy High School in Old Bridge, New Jersey. She started practicing gymnastics at a young age, quickly excelling in the sport.
Career
Hernandez's career in gymnastics began at the young age of 12 when she placed 11th in the junior division at the U.S. Classic in 2012. Because of her success in the competition, she was able to qualify for the National Championships in St. Louis, where she placed 21st.
In 2013, she won the silver medal at the WOGA Classic. A few months later, she competed in the American Classica in Huntsville, Texas, and placed first in the floor exercise, second in the all-around competition, and third in both balance beam and vault. She was later added to the U.S. junior national team and went to Chicago to compete in the U.S. Classic. She placed sixth all-around and won the floor exercise title. At the National Championships in August of 2013, she won the silver medal in the junior all-around competition. In September, she was selected to represent the U.S. at the Junior Japan International in Yokohama, where she placed third, and then competed at the International Junior Mexican Cup with a team of three other girls. They placed first in the team competition.
Hernandez had a more challenging 2014 as she fractured her wrist early in the year. Though she was able to return to competing quickly, she then dislocated a kneecap, meaning she had to take six months to recover. She didn't return to training until the fall, only able to attend the final U.S. training camp of the year in November.
However, she was able to make an impressive recovery and was named to the U.S. team for the 2015 City of Jesolo Trophy. There, she was crowned junior all-around champion. At the 2015 U.S. Classic, she won another junior all-around title and won the vault and uneven bars individual competitions. At the National Championships, she won the junior all-around title. Her success that year led to her being selected to compete at the 2015 International Junior Japan Meet in Yokohama, where she won the all-around, floor exercise, and vault.
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In 2016, Hernandez transitioned from competing at the junior level to the senior level. She made her senior debut at the City of Jesolo Trophy, where the U.S. team won the gold medal. She individually won the bronze medal in the all-around. In April, she competed at the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships along with four other American teammates. The American team won first place in the competition. She then competed at the U.S. Classic in June, but only in the bars event, though she competed in all the events a month later at the National Championships.
At the Olympic Trials in July, Hernandez placed second in the all-around behind Simone Biles. She was named to the U.S. Olympic team alongside Biles, Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, and Gabby Douglas. The team traveled to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics, and they advanced to the finals after making it through the qualification round. The team competed in the final round on August 9, winning in every event and winning the gold medal in the team competition. Hernandez herself won silver on the balance beam.
After the Olympics, Hernandez appeared on "Dancing with the Stars," ultimately winning the competition with partner Val Chmerkovskiy in 2016. In November 2017, she returned to the 25th season of the show in order to participate in a special dance number with other contestants. She then hosted "American Ninja Warrior Junior" in 2018. She also took a voice role in the animated mini-series "Middle School Moguls" the same year.
After a two-year hiatus from training in gymnastics, she returned in October 2018 and was invited to the national team training camp in November 2019. Hernandez continued training into 2020. That year, one of her former coaches, Maggie Haney, was suspended by USA Gymnastics for eight years due to abusive conduct. Hernandez testified against Haney at the hearing, describing various instances in which Haney had humiliated her and criticized her for her weight, leading to disordered eating.
In February of 2021, Hernandez made her return to elite gymnastics at the 2021 Winter Cup, where she competed in two events. She ultimately finished fifth in the beam event. A few months later, she competed at the 2021 U.S. Championships. She planned to participate in the beam and vault events, though she had to withdraw from the competition after hyperextending her knee while warming up. She subsequently did not make the national team and could not compete at the Olympic Trials. However, she was featured in the 2021 Peacock docuseries, "Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts."
Personal Life
Hernandez has been dating fellow gymnast Charlotte Drury since December of 2020. Hernandez has discussed some of her life in her 2017 book, "I Got This: To Gold and Beyond." She released a version of the book for young readers, "She's Got This," in 2018.
