While Season 16 of 'Dancing with the Stars' seems to have fully immersed itself in enlisting B-list celebrities from the fields of acting and singing to compete for the mirror ball trophy, it managed to grab some serious skill by recruiting both Aly Raisman and Dorothy Hamill to fill out the cast. As ABC reports on its "Meet the Cast" page, released on Feb. 26, both women are gold medal winners from the Olympics - albeit a few decades apart.
At the 2012 summer games, gymnast Aly Raisman scooped up two gold medals and a bronze. One gold was for being part of the "Fierce Five" gymnastics team while the other was earned in the floor exercise category. The balance beam competition gave Aly the bronze, and she also placed fourth in the individual all-round, narrowly missing her second bronze after a tie-breaker calculation.
Dorothy Hamill's Olympic victory occurred at the 1976 winter games where she secured a gold medal in singles figure skating. After clenching her place in skating history, she toured as a headliner with the Ice Capades for several years. Despite her relatively brief time in the Olympic spotlight followed by casual figure skating fans, Hamill's name remains high on the list of great American skaters.
As female competitors, both Raisman and Hamill will bring an interesting dimension to the 'Dancing with the Stars' cast. Despite their active lifestyles and ability to train for physical exertion at high levels, channeling that energy and drive into a ballroom dancing competition away from the gymnastic mats, balance beam and ice skating rink could be easier said the done. However, both athletes will be following the great example sat by fellow Olympic athlete Shawn Johnson who captured the coveted mirror ball trophy in Season 8. Johnson also reappeared in the All-Star season of the show where she was joined by the Fierce Five - including Aly Raisman - for a performance.
'Dancing with the Stars' returns to ABC on March 18, 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET
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