Gabby Douglas pushes through hard days with Paris 2024 in mind
The 28-year-old three-time Olympic gold medallist looks to compete for the first time since Rio 2016 this season.
Artistic Gymnastics
U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas has nothing to prove.
The 2012 Olympic all-around champion, who turns 28 today (31 December), has climbed the mountain top, achieving the pinnacle of her sport at the London 2012 Games and returning at Rio 2016 for a third Olympic gold medal.
Yet something has Douglas grinding away, pushing herself into the gym – even on the hard days.
“It’s a Thursday, and I’m so tired [laughs]. But we gonna push through, we’re gonna do it,” said Douglas in a video posted to her Instagram story on 7 December. “I guess those are the best days, right? The hard days, the harder days, the days when you don’t want to do it. So, I’m on my way to the gym as per usual. Let’s go.”
The first African American to win all-around Olympic gold stepped away from the sport and, for a time, public life following her second Olympic run seven years ago.
But she never made an official declaration of retirement.
Rumours of Douglas’ comeback began to surface in late 2022, and coach Valeri Liukin confirmed that the 2015 world all-around silver medallist had returned to the gym earlier this year.
In July, Douglas made it official in an Instagram post.
“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,” she wrote in a 13 July post featuring a photo of her on the balance beam.
“It’s so easy to suppress and run away from facing darkness and fears. For many years, I’ve had an ache in my heart, but I didn’t want to keep carrying anger, pain, sadness or regret and through my tears and hurt, I’ve found peace.
“I wanted to find the joy again for the sport that I absolutely love doing,” continued Douglas. “I know I have a huge task ahead of me, and I am beyond grateful and excited to get back out on the floor.”
Finding the love again
Douglas has been tightlipped on her return, sharing two short videos of her training on Instagram and doing a lone interview for TIME magazine’s Person of the Week podcast.
“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,” Douglas told TIME. “I never wanted to have a hatred for the sport I love. I don’t want to end it that way. I have never announced retirement, I always kept it in the back of my mind, like, we have to finish on a better note.
“Even my family was saying, too, like, even if starting out, you just get back in the gym and you love it again, I think that’s a step,” she concluded.
Beijing 2008 all-around champion Nastia Liukin told Olympics.com that love of the sport was also crucial in her return when she tried to make the 2012 team four years after her golden triumph.
“I still loved the sport, that love has never gone away or changed,” she said of her career’s continuation. “What I struggled with the most was, wait, just because I achieved that thing, which I’m so proud of… why is that I need to now move on or why is it expected that you do it and you’re done?”
Gabby Douglas’ next steps?
Douglas has yet to reveal her 2024 season schedule and, despite speculation that she would appear at last summer's U.S. Classic alongside fellow Olympic all-around gold medallists Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee, Douglas’ only formal step forward in the sport has been appearing at a U.S. national team camp in mid-November.
The first major U.S. competition in 2024 will be the Winter Cup Challenge, set for 23-25 February in Louisville, Kentucky.
While the Winter Cup will probably not constitute any sort of official marker for the 2024 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team, it could provide Douglas with an important check point on her progress and show U.S. team leaders her potential.
The Winter Cup and May’s U.S. Classic are two opportunities for Douglas to qualify for the U.S. Championships which take place from 30 May to 3 June in Fort Worth, Texas. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials are scheduled for 27-30 June in Minneapolis.
“I know I have a huge task ahead of me, and I am beyond grateful and excited to get back on the floor,” Douglas wrote in her comeback post. “And even more grateful for all your support and love. It truly means so much. There’s so much to be said, but for now… let’s do this.”