Gabby Douglas set for comeback after nearly eight years away: 'I'm still a competitor at heart'
The three-time Olympic champion will compete for the first time this weekend at the Winter Cup competition in Louisville, Kentucky.
U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas has scaled her sport’s mountain top.
Her Olympic debut at the London 2012 Games was historic.
Douglas helped Team USA win its first women’s team gold medal since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and then, days later, went on to become the first African American to win the Olympic all-around title.
She won a third Olympic gold medal four years later as part of the U.S. squad at the Rio 2016 Games.
But despite that historic resume, Douglas has found her way back to the sport and this weekend at USA Gymnastics’ Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, her way back to the competitive floor.
"I was watching the 2022 [U.S.] championships, and I was like, 'Man, I miss competing.' And, I was trying to figure out how to get like, this... I'm still a competitor at heart.... I can get this out of me, and so I decided to start back training," Douglas told Hallie Jackson on NBC News Now earlier this month. "I can't believe I'm in this sport again."
Unfinished business
Douglas, who announced her intentions to try for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games last July, has not competed since the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Her performance and results in Rio could be a motivating factor.
“After the 2016 Olympics, I honestly didn't do my best and that Olympics didn't go quite in my favor,” Douglas told TIME’s Person of the Week podcast in late 2023.
Despite finishing third overall in qualifying in Rio, the 2015 World all-around medallist missed out on the individual all-around final because she was the third best American when only two per country can advance.
“But I learned that medals or like Grammys or Oscars… they're amazing and they represent your hard work,” Douglas continued. “But it's not who you are. Doesn't define you. You do your craft. That's what you do, but it's not who you are. And it took me a long time to figure that out.”
Gabby Douglas: Loving the sport again
In announcing her return to the sport, Douglas indicated she hopes to compete at "a few more assignments" prior to the summer's U.S. Classic, U.S. Championships and U.S. Olympic trials. The Winter Cup is the selection event for several international events happening in March.
The 28-year-old's return is highly anticipated after having kept a low profile over the last several years.
Douglas' renewed Olympic dreams were first confirmed by coach Valeri Liukin in late February last year, then by Douglas herself on her Instagram in July.
"As you all know, I stepped back from the socials, and in that time, I did a lot of journaling, reflecting, soul searching and found myself back where it all began," Douglas wrote on Instagram. "I wanted to find the joy again for the sport that I absolutely love doing. I know I have a huge task ahead of me, and I am beyond grateful and excited to get back out on the floor.
"There’s so much to be said but for now….💪 😎 Let’s do this #2024," she concluded.
Hours later, Douglas shared a seven-second long training clip on the uneven bars that showed her performing two extremely difficult pirouetting elements. The 2015 World all-around silver medallist has since shared several training videos, including executing a standing back flip with a full twist on the balance beam.
No matter the results in Louisville, Douglas has found gratitude.
“I am so grateful for the body that I have and so grateful that I still can go out on the floor and do what I love. I never wanted to have a hatred for the sport that I love. I don't want to end it that way,” said Douglas. “I have never announced retirement. I always kept in the back of my mind, like, we have to finish on a better note. You know, and even my family saying to, like, even if starting out, you just get back in the gym and you love it again. I think that's a step.”