At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, American gymnast Laurie Hernandez won the hearts of many across the world. She danced. She flipped. She fearlessly competed on the world’s biggest stage for athletes.

Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez is partnering with pro dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy. ABC announced on Aug. 30, 2016, that Hernandez will take part in the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars." The show returns on Monday, Sept. 12 on ABC. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Credit: Clive Brunskill

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Credit: Clive Brunskill

During her recent visit to Atlanta for the SECO 2018 optometry conference, features editor Nicole Smith asks the gymnast to describe how it feels to live a life saturated with adrenaline, competition, excitement and gold-medal success. Plus, host Shane Harrison shares things to do in Atlanta during the next 10 days, including the Candler Park Music and Food Festival.

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The skyline of downtown Atlanta is visible from Centennial Olympic Park, which is about a 10-minute walk from the FIFA Club World Cup games happening at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Christine Tannous/AJC 2021)

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