Gymnast Gabby Douglas captivated America by winning three Olympic gold medals — two at the 2012 games in London and one in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Now 28, she was bidding to return to Paris this summer for one more crack at Olympic glory.
That dream ended Wednesday, when Douglas withdrew from competition at the U.S. gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, citing an ankle injury she suffered this week while training. Douglas would have been the oldest American woman to compete in gymnastics at the Olympics since 1952.
At the 2012 London Olympic games, Douglas, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber, and Kyla Ross — the “Fierce Five” — claimed the first gold medal by a U.S. women’s gymnastics team since 1996. Douglas became the first African-American gymnast to win the Olympic all-around gold medal.
Douglas was awarded the 2012 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year awards.
After a two-year hiatus from the sport, Douglas returned to capture the silver all-around medal at the 2015 World Championships and assisted her team in obtaining the team gold medal.
Returning to the Olympic stage in 2016, Douglas helped the “Final Five” secure another gold medal for the U.S. along with Raisman, Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian.
Douglas and the 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams were inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in recognition of their accomplishments.
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
“I love this sport and I love pushing my limits,” Douglas told ESPN. “I hope I can inspire both my peers and the next generation of gymnasts that age is just a number, and you can accomplish anything you work hard for.”
According to ESPN, Douglas intends to begin training for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when she will be 32, once she recovers from her injury: “I proved to myself and to the sport that my skills remain at an elite level. My plan is to continue to train for the L.A. 2028 Olympics. It would be such an honor to represent the U.S. at a home Olympics.”
Elite gymnasts frequently compete on the Olympic stage as teenagers. Even at 28, Douglas would have been competing against athletes half her age. In a recent interview with NBC New York, Raisman said “I think if anybody could do it, it’s her.”
“When someone has that much experience…It’s just so exciting to see because she’s obviously learned so much over the years,” Raisman said.
Unfortunately, the comeback bid won’t be completed in 2024.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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