Yahoo Finance Laurie Hernandez debuts 'Hamilton'-inspired floor routine in first meet since 2016 Olympics
Laurie Hernandez made her first appearance in competitive gymnastics in nearly five years on Saturday, and she used one of the most influential pieces of music over that time for her floor exercise.
Hernandez's competition in the 2021 Winter Cup was her first meet since the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she won a gold medal as part of Team USA's "Final Five" and a silver medal in the balance beam.
For the floor exercise, any musical fan could recognize Hernandez's song choice: "The Room Where It Happens" from the hit musical "Hamilton." The routine did not disappoint.
hey @Lin_Manuel @leslieodomjr , what do y’all think of my new floor routine👀 pic.twitter.com/6PD7bDRLQJ
— Laurie Hernandez (@LaurieHernandez) February 27, 2021
Hernandez also posted the first half of the routine here.
Among the fans of the routine was Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of "Hamilton," who liked Hernandez's tweet showing off her moves. Hernandez ended up placing 11th in the floor exercise with a score of 12.05, and also finished sixth in the balance beam at 13.95.
The popularity of the song choice didn't help Hernandez much with the judges, but, again, this was her first meet in 1,657 days. Between Aug. 2016 and now, Hernandez had been on an extensive hiatus, not returning to training until Oct. 2018. Since then, abuse allegations against Hernandez's former coach Maggie Haney have come to light, with Hernandez revealing she developed eating disorders and depression due to her coach's treatment.
Now, Hernandez is moving forward, with qualification for the Tokyo Games coming up. However it plays out, she at least seems to be doing it with the love for her sport back in place.
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