Laurie Hernandez has won Dancing with the Stars.
Oh, sorry: SPOILER ALERT!
It’s true, however, that the gymnast defeated a pair of other athletes on Tuesday night to claim the iconic Mirrorball Trophy alongside professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy.
Of course, Hernandez won a Gold Medal at the Summer Olympics just a few months ago.
So there’s no way this reality show-based honor can possibly compete with that previous accomplishment.
Right?
“Honestly, I feel like they tied (with) each other,” Hernandez told USA Today of winning Dancing with the Stars and winning the highest prize one can win as an American athlete.
This seems like a stretch, but hey:
We’ve never won a Gold Medal or a Dancing with the Stars season. So what the heck do we know?!?
“The Olympics, as a little kid, it was such a big goal that I created for myself and I was able to push through and make that happen,” she explained, adding of how DWTS compares:
“I’ve always loved to dance and my passion was dancing as well as gymnastics, so winning the Mirrorball was insane and amazing.”
Hernandez knocked off James Hinchcliffe (and Sharna Burgess) and Calvin Johnson (and Lindsay Arnold) to claim the Season 23 title.
In July, meanwhile, she helped her team win women’s all-around team competition in Rio and also took home a Silver Medal in the balance beam.
Not a bad year, huh?
Aside from showing off extreme dancing talent, Hernandez also wore her emotions on her sequined-sleeves at many points during the competition.
As you can see in the video posted above, she broke down in front of the judges after dedicating a routine a couple weeks ago to her late grandmother.
Chmerkovskiy, who has now come out on top of Dancing with the Stars twice, said he finds Hernandez very inspiring.
He just hopes that others, most notably young fans and viewers, do as well.
“I wanted to set an example through her … for her generation that anything is possible,” Chmerkovskiy told the newspaper. “To stay hungry, to stay humble, she’s a testament to that.”
Hernandez agreed.
She isn’t backing away from the pressure or expectations.
“I do want to inspire others…When I was a little kid, I looked up to other people, so I hope I can inspire little kids,” she said.
She’s off to a great start, that’s for certain!
Do you think Hernandez deserved to win Dancing with the Stars? Where does she rank among all-time champions?
And has any celebrity has a better 2016 than Laurie Hernandez?!? WOW!
Weigh in below with your thoughts, opinions and comments.
