Laurie Hernandez Compares Her Dancing with the Stars Win to Scoring Olympic Gold

What could possibly be more thrilling than bringing home Olympic gold? Well, in gymnast Laurie Hernandez’s opinion, her Season 23 Dancing with the Stars win comes pretty close.

On Tuesday evening, the 16-year-old Final Five gold medalist and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy were named DWTS champions. So how does her new title compare to her string of 2016 Olympic victories?

“Honestly, I feel like they tied,” Hernandez told USA Today, comparing her DWTS award with the gold medal her team won at the Rio Games this past summer. “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. … I’ve always loved to dance and my passion was dancing as well as gymnastics, so winning the mirrorball (trophy) today was insane and amazing.”

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Just in time for Thanksgiving, the athlete expressed her gratitude for her partner and the experience of being on the show in a lengthy caption on Instagram.

"WOW. First off, I want to thank the amazing @iamvalc. Not only were you my dance partner, but you were my role model and big brother too. Because of you I've grown as a person the past 11 weeks. You pushed me out of my comfort zone and I can't thank you enough for that. WE DID IT!!," she said of Chmerkovskiy. "Next I want to thank all the competitors here. I didn't realize how close I would get to all of you. You're all amazing and I hope you all know that."

"Also, S/o to my family, friends, and fans for supporting me through day one. You all are amazing and I'm forever grateful. I can't wait for this new chapter in my life," she concluded.

Amazing is right, and a good term to describe Miss Hernandez and her year of unparalleled success.