Mark Ballas congratulates former dance partner Aly Raisman

Mark Ballas has congratulated his former The Dancing with the Stars partner Aly Raisman on her success at the Rio Olympics.
The professional dancer, who was paired with Raisman on the show’s 16th season back in 2013, took to social media on Friday (12Aug16) to praise the gymnast on her medal-winning performances.
The 22-year-old won gold with her fellow teammates Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian in the all-around gymnastics event in Rio on Tuesday (9Aug16). She later picked up silver, finishing second behind Biles, in the women’s individual all-round gymnastics event on Thursday (11Aug16).
Ballas paid tribute to his former dance partner with a photo of the pair during one of their performances on the dancing competition. “Words can’t describe how proud of this girl I am,” he captioned the shot on Instagram. “I teared up watching her finish her floor routine last night, I remember having chats about her going to the RIO Olympics.”
“I got to experience this girls (sic) tremendous hard work & dedication first hand, she will never shy away from a challenge or let anything hold her back no matter what obstacle lays ahead of her,” Ballas continued. “Not only is she an incredible athlete & student but has a heart made of pure gold, always kind, always caring & always genuine. I’m so proud of you @alyraisman Congratulations.”
Raisman, who finished fourth on Dancing with the Stars, is pursuing more Olympic success in Rio, as she’s taking to the gymnastics arena again on Tuesday (16Aug16) to compete in the floor exercise. She nabbed gold at the London Olympics in 2012, becoming the first American woman to win a gold medal on floor.
Hours before Ballas celebrated her success, Raisman took to Instagram to share an adorable quote from teammate Simone Biles. “‘I think I was more proud of Aly getting silver than me gold,'” Biles’ quote read. “‘She’s worked so incredibly hard during her comeback. She’s one of my role models, and I don’t think there’s anyone I’d rather share the podium with. I’m more happy for her than I am myself.'”