London 2012 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Gabby Douglas is scheduled to participate in her first competition in nearly eight years.
Douglas said Tuesday (6 February) that she intends to compete at the upcoming Winter Cup competition, scheduled for 23-25 February in Louisville, Kentucky. USA Gymnastics plans to reveal the entire women's line up on Friday (9 February).
"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. "I can't believe I'm in this sport again."
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, where she helped Team USA to a gold medal. She also has team and all-around Olympic titles from London 2012.
On Tuesday, she 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 peforming 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.