Laurie Hernandez's Brother Shares A Sweet Message

One of Laurie Hernandez's biggest fans got a preview of her medal win even before it was aired on NBC. This Instagram post from Hernandez's brother Marcus is a touching tribute, complete with a letter dedicated to his younger sister and her accomplishments.

He wasn't there to watch in person with his parents, but Marcus said she sent it to him right after the team's win. America couldn't be more proud, either, but Marcus may have a special point of view on the matter — that of a 10-year journey, and not a week in front of the cameras.

Clearly, he would have liked to have watch the final moments live. "The selfie I get from my sis right after she competed 🙌🏽 even though I haven't even watched it yet on NBC 😑," was Marcus's caption to the photo. But then he continued with something more profound:

I am so proud of who you are and what you've accomplished. We were talking about this being a possibility a decade ago and to see it actually happen is too much for me to handle. It's blowing my mind how the same little girl I used to see doing flips on my bed at age 6 now has a gold medal. I have seen you deal with so much adversity with the sport over the last several years and to finally see your hard work culminate makes it all worth it. You're the toughest little 16 year old I've ever met and I'm not saying that just cause I'm a proud bro.

The adversity he wrote about was Hernandez's very serious injuries just two years ago. First she fractured her wrist, and then there was a bad vault landing which nearly ended her gymnastics career. She bruised her MCL (a ligament that runs down the inner part of the knee), dislocated her right kneecap, and tore her patella ligament. As NBC Sports explained in their profile of Hernandez, she had a cadaver ligament sewn to her own.

But she made up for that extremely quickly. Last year, she won four all-around titles in 2015 — two at national competitions and two at international. That won't happen at this year's Olympics, because she wasn't tapped to compete in all the events, making her ineligible for the all-around. The decision, taken by the head coach, has been somewhat controversial, because Hernandez scored better in the qualifying rounds.

But either way, her brother Marcus remained proud. He had some words for his sister for her upcoming beam final on August 15: "Remember to give God his glory always!" he wrote. "Love you sis and can't wait to see you kill it Monday as well. As soon as you land we're going straight to Wawa." Way to be an awesome big brother, Marcus.