Douglas is the first African American to win an Olympic individual all-around title, and the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympic Games. With a total of six Olympic and World Championship medals, she is the 11th most decorated U.S. female gymnast of all time.
Douglas's gymnastics successes have led to her life story adaptation in the 2014 Lifetimebiopic film, The Gabby Douglas Story, as well as her own reality television series, Douglas Family Gold. She is the author of two books: Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith and Raising the Bar. In 2021, she won the first season of The Masked Dancer.
Early life
Douglas was born on December 31, 1995, to parents Timothy Douglas and Natalie Hawkins-Douglas,[4] in Newport News, Virginia,[1] and grew up in nearby Virginia Beach.[5] She has two older sisters, Arielle and Joyelle, and one older brother, Johnathan.[6] She began training in gymnastics at age six when Arielle convinced their mother to enroll Gabby in classes.[7] Her first gym was Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia Beach.[8] At the age of eight, Douglas won the Level 4 all-around gymnastics title at the 2004 Virginia State Championships.[9][10]
At 14, she moved to Des Moines, Iowa, to train full-time with coach Liang Chow. Because her family had to stay in Virginia while her siblings finished school, she lived with Travis and Missy Parton and their four daughters, one of whom also trained at Chow's gym.[11] However, Douglas struggled to fit in because of the separation from her family and hometown.[12]
Douglas was raised Christian, stating in a 2012 interview, "[My faith] always plays a big role in my life. I don't know where I'd be without it today."[13] Douglas has also stated in her biography that when she was younger her "family practiced some of the Jewish traditions", including attending a Conservative Jewish synagogue, keeping kosher, and celebrating Hanukkah.[14][15]
In 2009, Douglas suffered a fracture in the growth plate of her wrist. Due to this injury, she was not able to compete at the 2009 U.S. Classic.[17] She did compete at the 2009 U.S. Championships in Dallas, Texas, but she hurt her knee on a double Arabian on the floor exercise.[19] She only competed on the balance beam on the second day of competition and finished fifth on that apparatus. She, once again, was not selected for the junior national team.[20]
2010
Douglas competed at the 2010 Nastia Liukin Cup, a televised Level 10 meet held in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she placed fourth all-around.[21] Her first elite meet of the year was the U.S. Classic in Chicago. She finished ninth in the all-around, but won a bronze medal on the balance beam behind Kyla Ross and Katelyn Ohashi.[22] At the U.S. Championships, she finished fourth in the all-around competition after hitting her feet on the floor on a Pak salto on the uneven bars.[23] She did win the silver medal on the balance beam behind Ross and was added to the junior national team for the first time.[24][25] She was then selected to make her international debut at the 2010 Pan American Championships. She and teammates Ross, Sabrina Vega, McKayla Maroney, Brenna Dowell, and Sarah Finnegan won the team gold medal by nearly 20 points.[26] The next day, she won a gold medal in the uneven bars final.[27]
In October, at age 14, Douglas moved into the home of Missy Parton in West Des Moines, Iowa, to train under Liang Chow, the former coach of 2007 World Champion and 2008 Summer Olympics gold medalist Shawn Johnson.[28][29][30] Prior to the move, Chow taught clinic at her club, and Douglas was impressed when Chow was able to teach her how to perform the Amanar vault in a single afternoon.[31] Douglas considered a move to Texas to train with a renowned coach there, but after that coach declined to train her out of loyalty to Excalibur's coaches, Douglas selected Chow.[32] Chow was initially skeptical, since Douglas had been just one of hundreds of children at the clinic in Virginia Beach; however, Chow subsequently informed Douglas's Excalibur coaches that he had agreed to train her, but pointed out that he did not recruit her, saying, "I would never recruit anybody to my program."[32]
Senior career
2011
Douglas became age-eligible for senior-level competitions in 2011 because of her birthdate: December 31, 1995. Had she been born on January 1, 1996, she would not have been senior-level eligible until 2012.[33] She made her senior debut at the City of Jesolo Trophy and helped the American team win the gold medal. Additionally, she tied with Sabrina Vega for the bronze medal on the balance beam and also won a floor exercise bronze medal.[34] She only competed on the uneven bars at the U.S. Classic and won the silver medal behind Jordyn Wieber.[35] At the 2011 U.S. Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota, Douglas fell on the balance beam and floor exercise on the first day of competition.[36] She fell on her balance beam dismount on the second day of competition and finished seventh in the all-around.[37] She tied with Anna Li for the bronze medal on the uneven bars.[38]
Douglas competed as a guest competitor at the American Cup held at Madison Square Garden. She had the highest total all-around score, but she was not eligible for the gold medal as a guest competitor.[43][44] Later that month, she was part of the gold-winning U.S. team at the Pacific Rim Championships.[45] During the competition, Douglas attempted the Amanar vault, but her hand slipped off the vaulting table, causing her to fall. She tweaked her ankle and withdrew from competing on the floor exercise.[46] She still competed on the uneven bars and won the gold medal.[47]
Douglas competed at the U.S. Classic and won the uneven bars title. She also finished seventh on the balance beam after grabbing the beam on her acrobatic series, and she won a bronze medal on the floor exercise. She did not compete on the vault due to continued struggles with the Amanar.[48][49] At the 2012 U.S. Championships, she finished second to Jordyn Wieber in the all-around after falling off the balance beam on the second day of competition.[50] She won the national uneven bars title and also won a bronze medal on the floor exercise.[51]
Douglas won the gold medal in the all-around final with a total score of 62.232.[60] She became the first African American woman,[61] as well as the first woman of color of any nationality, to win the event.[62] She also became the fourth American woman to win Olympic all-around gold as well as the third straight to do so after Mary Lou Retton in Los Angeles in 1984, Carly Patterson in Athens in 2004 and Nastia Liukin in Beijing in 2008, all of whom were at the venue and watched Douglas equal their feat.[63][64] She also became the first American gymnast ever to win both the team and individual all-around gold at the same Olympics.[65]
Douglas finished eighth in the uneven bars final,[66] and seventh in the balance beam final after making mistakes in both.[67] She was the first all-around champion to fail to medal in an individual event since women's gymnastics was added to the Olympics in 1952.[68]
In 2013, Douglas left West Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to Los Angeles to be with her family. Although she was no longer training with Liang Chow, she said she was still preparing to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics.[69] In mid-April 2014, Douglas returned to Iowa to train once more with Chow.[70] However, in mid-July, it was announced that Douglas had once again left Chow.[71] In August, news broke that Douglas would train under Kittia Carpenter at Buckeye Gymnastics in Columbus, Ohio. Carpenter announced that Douglas would not aim to return to competition during the 2014 season, as previously planned, but she did attend two national team training camps.[72] Douglas was added back to the U.S. national team on November 25, 2014.[73][74]
2015
In March, Douglas returned to international competition at the City of Jesolo Trophy. She helped the American team win gold and also placed fourth in the all-around behind defending World Champion Simone Biles, newcomer Bailie Key, and Olympic teammate Aly Raisman.[75] In July, she competed at the U.S. Classic and won the silver medal in the all-around behind Biles, improving her all-around total from Jesolo by nearly two points.[76][77] She also won silver medals on the uneven bars and floor exercise and a bronze medal on the balance beam.[78] At the U.S. Championships, she finished fifth in the all-around and was named to the national team.[79][80]
On October 8, 2015, Douglas was selected to compete at the 2015 World Championships alongside Biles, Raisman, Brenna Dowell, Madison Kocian, Maggie Nichols, and MyKayla Skinner.[81] Douglas helped the U.S. team successfully defend their World title.[82] Douglas then won the silver medal in the all-around behind Biles, becoming the first reigning Olympic all-around champion to return to the sport and win a World championships medal since Yelena Davydova in 1981.[83] She also qualified for the uneven bars final and finished fifth and was 0.233 points away from the four-way tie for the gold medal.[84][85]
Douglas began the 2016 season by winning the all-around title at the American Cup by nearly half a point ahead of Maggie Nichols.[88] This was her first international all-around win since the 2012 Summer Olympics.[89] She was then selected to competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy,[90] where she won another all-around title.[91] In the event finals, she won a silver medal on the uneven bars behind teammate Ashton Locklear and a bronze medal on the floor exercise.[92]
Douglas only competed on the uneven bars and the balance beam at the U.S. Classic, finishing third and sixth, respectively.[93] She then competed at the U.S. Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. She made minor mistakes, including a missed connection on the uneven bars and going out of bounds on the floor exercise,[94] and finished fourth in the all-around competition. She was selected for the U.S. national team and qualified for the Olympic Trials.[95]
Heading into the U.S. Olympic Trials, Douglas chose to have Christian Gallardo coach her on the competition floor instead of Kittia Carpenter.[96] On the first night of competition, she fell off the balance beam on a full turn.[97][98] She fell off the balance beam again on the second night on a full-twisting back somersault and finished seventh in the all-around competition. Despite the mistakes, the U.S. national team coordinator, Márta Károlyi, selected her for the five-person Olympic team because of her strength on the uneven bars and her experience.[99][100] She was selected for the team alongside Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman. Douglas and Raisman became the first American female gymnasts to compete in multiple Olympic Games since Dominique Dawes and Amy Chow in 2000.[101]
On August 7, Douglas competed in the qualification round at the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Arena Olímpica do Rio in Rio de Janeiro. She helped the American team qualify for the final in first place by nearly ten points ahead of second-place China. Additionally, she qualified for the uneven bars final in third place. She also finished third in the all-around qualification standings. However, because she finished behind teammates Biles and Raisman, she was not eligible for the all-around final due to the two-per-country rule.[102][103]
Douglas competed on the uneven bars in the team final and helped the United States win a second consecutive gold medal, which was also her third Olympic gold medal.[104][105] When the final scores were announced, Douglas and her teammates called themselves the "Final Five" in honor of Márta Károlyi's retirement and the team size being reduced to four beginning in 2020.[106] Douglas finished seventh in the uneven bars event final due to a mistake on one of her pirouettes.[107]
2022–present: Comeback
In October 2022, several gymnastics media outlets, such as The Gymternet and Gymcastic, reported that Douglas had recently returned to training, this time at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA).[108] In November 2022, a photograph was posted online that showed Douglas in the gym with other current WOGA athletes, further strengthening rumors of a possible comeback.[109] In February 2023, WOGA coach Valeri Liukin confirmed to NBC that Douglas had been training at his gym,[110] and in July 2023, Douglas herself confirmed via Instagram that she had resumed training with the goal of competing at the 2024 Olympics.[111]
Douglas competing on uneven bars at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic
Douglas had been slated to make her competitive return in February at the 2024 Winter Cup;[112] however she withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19 two days prior to the competition.[113] Following her withdrawal from the Winter Cup, it was briefly reported that she was no longer training at WOGA,[114] but she returned to WOGA after two weeks.[115]
Douglas's first competition since the 2016 Olympic Games was the 2024 American Classic in Katy, Texas. She finished in second place on the vault, but she made mistakes on the uneven bars and floor exercise and finished with an all-around score of 50.650,[116][117] short of the 51.000 score needed to qualify for the all-around at the U.S. Championships. She did qualify for the U.S. Championships on the vault, uneven bars, and balance beam.[118][119]
Douglas next competed at the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut. On her first event, the uneven bars, she fell twice and scored a 10.100; she subsequently withdrew from the rest of the competition.[120] In May 2024, Douglas was injured during training and withdrew from the U.S. Championships and competing for a spot on the 2024 Olympic team. However, she said she still aimed to compete for a spot on the 2028 Olympic team.[121]
In July 2012, Gabby Douglas and her teammates made history as the first entire Olympic gymnastics team to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated'sOlympic Preview issue.[128] On July 20, Douglas appeared on one of five special Time magazine Olympic covers.[129] On August 3, the Kellogg Company announced it would feature Douglas on special-edition boxes of Corn Flakes, breaking the tradition of Olympic athletes appearing on Wheaties boxes.[130] Later that month, on August 23, Douglas threw out the ceremonial pitch at Citi Field when the Colorado Rockies played the New York Mets.[131]
On August 26, 2012, Douglas spoke about racist bullying at Excalibur Gymnastics in an interview with Oprah Winfrey and how it nearly made her quit the sport. She described an incident in which she had heard other girls at the gym say, "Why doesn't Gabby do it? She's our slave", when chalk was needed to be scraped off the bars.[132] The CEO of Excalibur Gymnastics, Gustavo Maure, denied these claims.[133]
In December 2012, Douglas released her autobiography, Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith.[136] The book debuted at number four on The New York Times Young Adult Bestseller List.[137] She performed a miniature floor routine at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards as part of the live performance by Alicia Keys and Nicki Minaj of the "Girl on Fire" Inferno Remix. After Douglas's success in London, Minaj had opted to end her verse with a reference to her: "I ain't tryna be that / Haters wanna see that / But I got 'em aggy / 'Cause I win the gold like Gabby."[138]
The Gabby Douglas Story aired on Lifetime on February 1, 2014,[141] starring Imani Hakim. Douglas performed all of the gymnastic stunts herself.[142] In 2015, it was announced that a reality television show for the Oxygen channel had been commissioned that would follow Douglas and her family's life, issued under the working title Douglas Family Gold.[143] The show premiered on May 25, 2016.[144][145]
On August 23, 2016, it was announced that Douglas would be one of the judges at the 2017 Miss America pageant.[146] In 2016, American rapper Cupcakke referenced Douglas in the lyrics of her song "Spider-Man Dick".[147] On July 11, 2016, Mattel released a "Gymnast Barbie" doll modeled after Douglas.[148]
In 2017, after a 60 Minutes interview with Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman who said that Larry Nassar, a former doctor for USA Gymnastics, had sexually abused her when she was 15 years old, Douglas sent a tweet saying that "dressing in a provocative/sexual way incites the wrong crowd." She was criticized for it by fellow Olympic teammate Simone Biles and others, who interpreted the tweet as criticism of Raisman and "victim-shaming".[149] Douglas later apologized for the tweet and said that Nassar had sexually abused her as well.[150]
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