The Trailblazer of USA Women’s Gymnastics
Gabby Douglas, the 5’3″ (1.60m) gymnast from Los Angeles, wrote her name in the history books at the 2012 London Olympics.
She became the first U.S. gymnast to win both the all-around and team titles at the same Olympic Games and the first African-American to claim an Olympic gymnastics gold medal – feats later replicated by the legendary Simone Biles.
Early Signs of Greatness
“Gold medals are made out of your sweat, blood and tears, and effort in the gym every day, and sacrificing a lot.”
The signs of Douglas’ extraordinary talent manifested early. At just three years old, she was scaling doorframes, prompting her elder sister to suggest enrolling her in gymnastics after witnessing her performing one-armed cartwheels within a week of learning them.
Unwavering Determination
By age nine, Douglas knew she wanted to be an Olympic champion. Five years later, she sacrificed her family life, moving from Virginia to Iowa to train with celebrated coach Liang Chow.
Despite an injury-riddled 2011 USA National Championships where she fell seven times on television, Douglas’s confidence remained unshaken. It took a new coaching team and regime to convince her she could achieve it all.
A Historic Breakthrough
As a two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Douglas made history in 2012 by becoming the first African-American to win the Olympic all-around title.
After helping the United States clinch the team gold at the 2011 World Championships, she went on to earn the coveted all-around gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, where she and her teammates also won the team gold.
“It is everything I thought it’d be,” Douglas said on NBC after her triumph. “It means so much. All the hard work and dedication and effort put in the gym and hard days. Hard days are the best because that’s (where) champions are made, so if you push through the hard days, you can get through anything.”
A Trailblazer Recognized
Douglas’s historic achievements did not go unnoticed. In 2012, she was awarded the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year.
After a two-year hiatus, she returned to capture the silver all-around medal at the 2015 World Championships, assisting her team in winning the team gold medal.
Her accomplishments at the 2015 World Championship made history once again, as she became the first female reigning Olympic all-around champion to return to the World Championships and win an all-around medal since 1981.
A Relentless Pursuit of Excellence
Douglas’s pursuit of excellence continued in 2016. She won the AT&T American Cup and captured the City of Jesolo Trophy all-around and team titles.
During the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, she became the first U.S. Olympic women’s all-around champion to make a second Olympic Team and the first reigning champion to return to the Games since Nadia Comaneci.
As a member of the Final Five, Douglas helped the U.S. women win their second consecutive Olympic team gold medal in Rio.
Trained at Buckeye Gymnastics in Columbus, Ohio, leading up to the 2016 Olympics, and previously at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance in West Des Moines, Iowa, for the 2012 Games, Douglas’s unwavering dedication and resilience made her a true icon of the sport.
