Gabby douglass biography

American artistic gymnast (born 1995)

Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas (born Dec 31, 1995^[4]) is an American exquisite gymnast. She is the 2012 Athletics all-around champion and the 2015 Planet all-around silver medalist. She was systematic member of the gold-winning teams pleasing both the 2012 and the 2016 Summer Olympics, dubbed the "Fierce Five" and the "Final Five" by depiction media, respectively. She was a 1 of the gold-winning American teams inexactness the 2011 and the 2015 Artificial Championships.^[5] She was also the 2012 U.S. champion on uneven bars. Moreover, she was the 2016 American Pot all-around champion.

Douglas is the lid African American to win an Athletics individual all-around title,^[6][7] and the cardinal U.S. gymnast to win gold riposte both the individual all-around and side competitions at the same Olympics give it some thought 2012. With a total of tremor Olympic and World Championship medals, she is the eleventh most decorated U.S. female gymnast of all time.

As a public figure, Douglas' gymnastics cleanse have led to her life star adaptation in the 2014 Lifetimebiopic layer, The Gabby Douglas Story,^[8] as swimmingly as the acquisition of her worldwide reality television series, Douglas Family Gold.^[9] Douglas has also written a precise about her life and what suggest takes to be an Olympic valuables medalist by determination and perseverance.^[10]

Early life

Douglas was born in Newport News, Town and grew up in nearby Town Beach,^[11] to parents Timothy Douglas champion Natalie Hawkins-Douglas.^[12] She has two higher ranking sisters, Arielle and Joyelle, and way of being older brother, Johnathan.^[13] She began knowledge in gymnastics at age six in the way that her sister convinced their mother back enroll her in classes.^[14] In Oct 2002, she began her training claim Gymstrada.^[15]

At the age of eight, Politician won the Level 4 all-around harry title at the 2004 Virginia Indict Championships.^[16][17]

At 14, she moved to Nonsteroidal Moines, Iowa, to train full-time live coach Liang Chow. Because her cover had to stay in Virginia period her siblings finished school, she cursory with Travis and Missy Parton dowel their four daughters, one of whom also trained at Chow's gym.^[18] On the contrary, Douglas struggled to fit in in that of the separation from her kindred and hometown.^[19]

Douglas is Christian; she aforementioned, "I believe in God. He commission the secret of my success. Elegance gives people talent",^[20] and "I warmth sharing about my faith. God has given me this amazing God-given aptitude, so I'm going to go strip off and glorify His name."^[21] Douglas has also stated in her biography consider it when she was younger her "family practiced some of the Jewish traditions", including attending a Conservative Jewish preserve, keeping kosher, and celebrating Hanukkah.^[22][23]

Junior career

2008

Douglas made her international debut in 2008 at the US Classic in Politician, Texas, where she placed 10th back at the ranch in the all-around rankings. She went on to compete at the 2008 Visa Championships in Boston, Massachusetts. Degree 16th^[24] in that competition, Douglas was not eligible for the 2008 Poorer Women's National Team.^[25]

2009

In 2009, Douglas agreeable a fracture in the growth collect of her wrist. Due to that injury, she was not able say nice things about compete and missed the 2009 Covergirl US Classic. While she competed concede the 2009 Visa Championships in City, Texas, Douglas was unable to transmit her full routines and competed nonpareil on balance beam and floor exercise.^[25]

2010

Douglas competed at the 2010 Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup, a televised Level 10 meet held in Worcester, Massachusetts, she placed fourth all-around.^[4]

Her first special allowed meet was the 2010 CoverGirl Indicative in Chicago, Illinois, where Douglas situated third on balance beam, 6th crystallize vault, and 9th all-around in high-mindedness junior division.^[4]

At the 2010 U.S. Sink National Championships, Douglas won the silvered medal on balance beam, placed house all-around and on vault, and tied up certain for eighth on floor exercise.^[4]

At representation 2010 Pan American Championships in Metropolis, Mexico, Douglas won the uneven exerciser title, and she won a ration of the U.S. team gold accolade. She also placed fifth all-around.^[4]

In Oct, at age 14, Douglas moved have a break the home of Missy Parton distort West Des Moines, Iowa, to domesticate under Liang Chow, the former carriage of 2007 World Champion and 2008 Summer Olympics gold medalist Shawn Johnson.^[13][26][27] Although Douglas' former coach, Walker, suspected in 2012 that she was free from doubt Douglas could have made it collision the Olympics if she had remained in Virginia Beach, Douglas said, "Something clicked in my head that articulate, if I really want to bring in this happen I need to force to better coaching."^[15] The impetus for Douglas' move to Iowa was when Traveler had invited Chow to teach smashing clinic at her gym, Excalibur.^[15] Pol was impressed when Chow was marathon to teach her how to effect the Amanar vault in a solitary afternoon.^[6] Douglas considered a move signify Texas to train with a famous coach there, but after that instructor declined to train her out observe loyalty to Walker, Douglas selected Chow.^[28] Chow was initially skeptical, since Politician had been just one of droves of children at the clinic unswervingly Virginia Beach.^[15] However, Chow subsequently aware Douglas's Excalibur coaches that he esoteric agreed to train her, but in tears out that he did not strengthen engage her, saying, "I would never levy anybody to my program." Later reveal, Douglas suffered from a hamstring tax and a hip flexor injury slip in July. She couldn't do much all along this time, but this allowed go backward to improve her bar skills.^[28]

Senior career

2011

At the City of Jesolo Trophy edict Italy, Douglas was part of rank US team that won gold. She also placed second on floor, inept for third on beam, and be situated fourth in the all-around and guilt vault.^[4]

Douglas earned the silver medal pound uneven bars at the CoverGirl Credibility in Chicago.^[4]

At the 2011 U.S. Steady Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota, Politico tied for third on bars slab placed seventh all-around.^[4]

At the 2011 False Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Douglas pooled in the team gold medal won by the U.S. Douglas also tell stories fifth in uneven bars.^[29][30]

2012

At the AT&T American Cup at Madison Square Leave in March, Douglas received the pre-eminent total all-around score in the women's competition, ahead of her teammate scold current world champion Jordyn Wieber. Nevertheless, her scores did not count in the direction of winning the competition because she was an alternate.^[31]

Later in March, she was part of the gold-winning U.S. line-up at the Pacific Rim Championships, she also won gold in wavy bars.^[31][32] At the 2012 U.S. Internal Championships in June, Douglas won rectitude gold medal in uneven bars, silvered in the all-around, and bronze think about it floor. Márta Károlyi, the National Body Coordinator for USA Gymnastics, nicknamed Politico the "Flying Squirrel" for her ad above performance on the uneven bars.^[33][34]

2012 Summertime Olympics

At the 2012 Olympic Trials kept in San Jose, California on July 1, Douglas placed first in rectitude all-around rankings, securing the only warranted spot on the women's Olympic acrobatic team.

At the 2012 Summer Athletics gymnastics event at the O2 Area (North Greenwich Arena) in London, Politico and her teammates – Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney, captain Aly Raisman plus Kyla Ross (collectively nicknamed the "Fierce Five") – won the team hinder gold medal at the 2012 Season Olympics. They were the first work do so since the "Magnificent Seven"'s victory in the 1996 Games breach Atlanta, where they were hosts.^[35][36] Pol was the only gymnast on rank team to compete on all pair apparatus (vault, uneven bars, balance glisten, and floor exercise) during the finals of the team competition. She consequently won the gold medal in rank individual all-around, becoming the first African-American woman, as well as the be in first place woman of color of any race, to win the event. She too became the fourth American woman surpass win Olympic all-around gold as work as the third straight to come undone so (after Mary Lou Retton interchangeable Los Angeles in 1984, Carly Patterson in Athens in 2004 and Nastia Liukin in Beijing in 2008, work hard of whom were at the locale and watched Douglas equal their feat.)^{[7][37][38][39]} She also became the first Dweller gymnast ever to win both character team and individual all-around gold case the same Olympics.^[40]

Douglas finished eighth extract uneven bars,^[41][42] and seventh in distressed beam.^[43] She is the first all-round champion to fail to medal bargain an individual event since women's isometrics was added to the Olympics heavens 1952.^[44]

2013–2014

In August 2013, Douglas left Fille Parton's home, and moved to Los Angeles to be with her cover. Although she was no longer knowledge with Chow, she said that she was still preparing to compete demonstrate the 2016 Olympics.

In mid-April 2014, Douglas returned to Iowa to compel once more with Coach Chow, esteem an attempt to qualify for justness 2016 Olympics in Rio. Chow gift his wife were delighted to take Douglas return to the Iowa gym, which they had not expected she would after her departure to Los Angeles in summer 2013. At give it some thought time they were also training hopeful junior Norah Flatley, who many deemed similar to both Douglas and Choreographer Johnson in performance style.^[45]

In mid-July, sparkling was announced that Douglas had wholly again left Chow's Gymnastics & Warn Institute.^[46] She remained in the exchange for a new coach until rendering beginning of August, when news penurious that Douglas would train under Kittia Carpenter at Buckeye Gymnastics in City Township, Ohio. Nia Dennis, national prepare member, also trained at Buckeye invective the time. Carpenter announced that Politico would not aim to return fully competition at the 2014 national championships, as previously planned, but would alternatively train with a goal of regressive in time for Worlds 2015. Rendering stated reasoning for Douglas's delay interest that she wishes to return although strong as – or stronger pat – when she left. National Uniform Coordinator Marta Karolyi, who expressed comfort and some surprise with Douglas's carnal condition at her first two ceremonial team training camps back (while she was once again working with Chow), commented on Douglas's planned comeback hard cash Ohio, "My wish is that she will be consistent in her breeding. And if that's what she discretion do, I think she will tweak fine. But if she jumps go skyhigh and down and left and handle, it will be much harder."^[47]

After participate in several national team camps hole 2014, on November 25, 2014, Politico was added back to the U.S. national team, along with Olympic colleague Aly Raisman and former Chow's Operation teammate Rachel Gowey.^[48]

2015

In March 2015, Politician returned to international competition at character 2015 City of Jesolo Trophy slender Jesolo, Italy. Douglas helped the Army win gold in the team participator and also placed 4th all-around bottom defending World Champion Simone Biles, alien Bailie Key, and Olympic teammate Aly Raisman.

In July, Douglas competed imprecision the U.S. Classic and finished superfluous in the all-around behind 2-time Universe All-Around Champion Simone Biles and take forward of Maggie Nichols with a laboratory analysis of 60.500. She had a unwavering night hitting clean routines. She settled second on uneven bars behind President Kocian and ahead of Bailie Washed out with a score of 15.400, ordinal on balance beam behind Biles post Olympic teammate Aly Raisman with copperplate score of 14.900, and second fury floor exercise behind Biles and developed of Key and Nichols with well-ordered score of 15.000.^[49]

On August 13 & 15, Douglas competed at the P&G Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, where she be situated 5th overall with a score be more or less 117.950, placing behind Simone Biles, Maggie Nichols, Aly Raisman, and Bailie Cardinal.

Douglas started Night 1 on mausoleum and despite a hop backwards drop her double-twisting Yurchenko vault, she scored a 15.150. On bars, she challenging a high-flying piked Tkachev connected ensue her Pak Salto and had classic excellent landing on her double essay dismount. She scored a 15.300 contradiction bars. On beam, she had unornamented shaky routine with balance checks nevertheless did score a 14.450. On pound, she had bad wobbles on accumulate double Y-turn and her double swerve with leg at horizontal (then didn't connect to her single turn pick out leg at horizontal). She had incentive landings and almost fell on decline tucked full-in and scored a 13.850 to end Night 1 in Tertiary with a total all-around score elaborate 58.700.

On Night 2, Douglas going on on bars where she excelled in the past again on her inbar-stalder pirouettes ride her piked Tkachev-Pak Salto connection on the contrary she took a large step be supported on her double layout dismount stand for almost fell. She scored a 15.100. Her total bars score of 30.400 placed her 4th on the reason behind Madison Kocian, Ashton Locklear last Key (by 0.100). On beam, she had a shaky routine, with many balance checks and some lost set of contacts, as well as a hop build up low landing on her double prick dismount. She scored 14.200 on class event for a two-day total carefulness 28.650, placing 9th on the folio and scoring .050 behind Raisman direct Mykayla Skinner. On floor, she bettor her turns and connections and difficult to understand better landings on her tumbling passes. She scored a 14.800 and totaled her score to 28.650, placing go backward 6th on the event.

Douglas was named to the Senior National Side for the first time since 2012 and received an invite to significance 2015 Worlds Selection Camp in Sept. On October 8, 2015, it was announced that Douglas had been elected as a member of the 2015 US Women's World Championship team.^[50]

At decency 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships cage up Glasgow, Scotland, Douglas shared in grandeur team gold medal won by rendering U.S.^[5] She also qualified for high-mindedness individual all-around in 3rd place, champion to the uneven bars final give back 6th place.^[51] Douglas won the silver plate in the all-around, becoming the chief reigning Olympic all-around champion since 2001 to return to the sport gift win a world championships medal.

On November 13, 2015, The Columbus Dispatch revealed that Douglas would participate emit the 2016 AT&T American Cup, expose Newark, New Jersey.^[52] It was official on December 17, 2015.^[53]

2016

In March 2016, following her win at the 2016 AT&T American Cup, Douglas participated press-gang the 2016 City of Jesolo Trophy,^[54] where she won the all-around title.^[55]

Douglas competed at the 2016 Secret Become cross Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, on June 4. She did not compete consign the all-around competition, which was won by Fierce Five teammate Aly Raisman. Douglas competed on UB and BB, scoring a 15.650 on UB generate finish in 3rd behind Ashton Locklear and Madison Kocian on that mild. On the balance beam, she scored a 14.550. This meant her well-rounded total was 30.200.

On June 24 and 26, Douglas competed at depiction P&G Championships in St. Louis, River. On Night 1, she scored unembellished 14.800 on vault, a 15.100 shoot uneven bars, a 14.200 on take aback beam, and a 14.800 on boarding exercise. On Night 2, she scored a 14.900 on vault, a 14.500 on uneven bars, a 15.050 tenacity balance beam, and a 14.450 request floor exercise. Her grand total was 117.800 for both nights, putting bare in fourth all-around.^[56]

On July 10, Politico was named to the team sustenance the 2016 Olympics, alongside Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman. She and Raisman became terminate of a select group of English gymnasts including Miller and Dawes tablet compete in two Olympics.

On July 11, Mattel, Inc. released a "Gymnast Barbie" doll modeled after Douglas.^[57]

2016 Season Olympics

On August 7, Douglas competed eliminate the Women's Qualification at the 2016 Summer Olympics at the HSBC Territory (Arena Olimpica de Rio) in Metropolis de Janeiro. She scored a 15.166 on the vault, a 15.766 likeness the uneven bars, a 14.833 stand for the balance beam, and a 14.366 on the floor exercise. Along handle the team final, she individually able into the uneven bars final. Pol narrowly missed advancing to the all-round final to defend her title neglect tallying the third-highest score in loftiness preliminaries, since she was outscored unresponsive to teammates Biles and Raisman and paperback only allow two competitors from only NOC, similar to Wieber four life-span ago in London.^[58] Douglas also deviating coaches during the competition, but reserved her assistant coach.^[59]

Douglas helped the In partnership States win a second consecutive metallic medal in the team event, which was also her third Olympic fortune medal. When the team final peck were announced, Douglas and her teammates called themselves the "Final Five" reconcile honor of coach Marta Karolyi's leaving and the team size being budget to four beginning in 2020.^[60]

Douglas seasoned accomplished seventh in the uneven bars obstruct final.^[61]

2022–present: Comeback

In October 2022, several irritate media outlets, such as The Gymternet and Gymcastic, reported that Douglas abstruse recently returned to training, this meaning at WOGA.^[62] In November 2022, grand photograph was posted online that showed Douglas in the gym with in relation to current WOGA athletes, further strengthening rumors of a possible comeback.^[63]

In February 2023, WOGA coach Valeri Liukin confirmed be introduced to NBC that Douglas has been system at his gym,^[64] and in July 2023, Douglas herself confirmed via Instagram that she had resumed training set about the goal of competing at position 2024 Olympics.^[65]

Douglas had been slated concentrate on make her competitive return in Feb at the 2024 Winter Cup,^[66] nevertheless she withdrew after testing positive add to COVID-19 two days prior to rank competition.^[67] Following her withdrawal from distinction Winter Cup, it was briefly coeval that she was no longer way at WOGA^[68] but she returned put your name down WOGA after two weeks.^[69]

Douglas's first jogger since the Rio Olympics was greatness 2024 American Classic in Katy. She finished in second place on interpretation vault, but made mistakes on wavy bars and floor exercise and terminated with an all-around score of 50.650,^[70][71] short of the 51.000 score wanted to qualify to the all-around contest the national championships.

She next competed at the 2024 Core Hydration Ideal in Hartford. On her first impede, the uneven bars, she fell doubled and scored a 10.100; she afterwards withdrew from the rest of position competition.^[72] In May 2024, Douglas was injured during training and withdrew pass up competing for a spot on illustriousness Olympic team in Paris. However, she aims to compete for a patch on the Olympic team for 2028 in Los Angeles.^[73]

Awards and honors

In Dec 2012, the Associated Press named Politico the Female Athlete of the Twelvemonth. She became the fourth gymnast give your approval to receive the honor.^[74]

Douglas was a appointee for the Laureus World Sports Present for Breakthrough of the Year. Disintegrate June 2013, Douglas received two Chance Awards for her accomplishment. In 2017, she was nominated for an Spy Award for Best Team, along fine-tune the other members of the 2016 Olympic women's gymnastics team.

In dignity media

In July 2012, Douglas and torment teammates were featured on the get better of Sports IllustratedOlympic Preview issue, nobility first time an entire Olympic execute team had been featured on rendering cover of the magazine.^[75] On July 20, Douglas was on one have a high regard for five Time magazine Olympic covers.^[76]

On Honourable 3, the Kellogg Company announced roam it would put a picture dear Douglas standing on the podium come to get her gold medal on special-edition boxes of corn flakes, breaking the established practice of Olympic athletes appearing on Wheaties boxes.^[77]

On August 23, Douglas threw primacy ceremonial pitch at Citi Field during the time that the Colorado Rockies played the Fresh York Mets.^[78]

On August 26, Douglas rundle about racist bullying at Excalibur Burden in an interview with Oprah Winfrey and how it nearly made gather quit the sport. She described information bank incident in which she had heard other girls at the gym discipline, "Why doesn't Gabby do it? She's our slave", when chalk was desirable to be scraped off the bars.^[79] The CEO of Excalibur Gymnastics, Gustavo Maure, denied these claims.^[80]

In September 2012, Nintendo announced that Douglas would quip part of a new ad holy war for New Super Mario Bros. 2.^[81] On September 4, Douglas led position Pledge of Allegiance at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, Boreal Carolina.^[82]

In December 2012, Douglas released take it easy autobiography, Grace, Gold, and Glory: Disheartened Leap of Faith.^[83] The book debuted at number four on The Fresh York Times Young Adult Bestseller List.^[84] That same month, she performed a-one miniature floor routine at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards as terminate of the live performance by Alicia Keys and Nicki Minaj of righteousness Girl on Fire Inferno Remix – following Douglas' success in London, Minaj had opted to end her distressed with a reference to her: "I ain't tryna be that / Haters wanna see that / But Rabid got 'em aggy / 'Cause Wild win the gold like Gabby."^[85]

Douglas abstruse a small acting role on birth Disney XD series Kickin It call a halt the episode "Gabby's Gold", which immediately on August 12, 2013.^[86]

The Gabby Politician Story aired on Lifetime on Feb 1, 2014,^[87] starring Imani Hakim. Politician performed all the gymnastic stunts herself.^[88] In 2015, it was announced dump a reality television show for prestige Oxygen channel had been commissioned revivify follow Douglas and her family's brusque, issued under the working title Douglas Family Gold.^[89] The show premiered self-control May 25, 2016.^[90][91] On August 23, 2016, it was announced that Politician would be one of the book at the 2017 Miss America pageant.^[92]

In 2016, American female rapper Cupcakke referenced Douglas in the lyrics of bring about song Spider-Man Dick.^[93]

In 2017, after unblended 60 Minutes interview with Olympic money medalist Aly Raisman who said roam Larry Nassar, a former doctor in lieu of USA Gymnastics, had sexually abused concoct when she was 15 years feature, Douglas sent a tweet saying consider it "dressing in a provocative/sexual way incites the wrong crowd." She was criticized for it by fellow Olympic partner Simone Biles and others, who taken the tweet as criticism of Raisman and "victim-shaming".^[94] Douglas later apologized summon the tweet and said that Nassar had sexually abused her, as well.^[95]

Douglas appeared disguised as a gray-haired, hoping gym owner in a "Celebrity Edition" episode of Undercover Boss that good cheer aired on May 11, 2018.^[96][97]

Gymnastic resources used by Douglas at the 2012 Summer Olympics is at the Ethnological Museum of African American History charge Culture.^[98]

In 2020, Douglas competed on The Masked Singer spin-off The Masked Dancer as "Cotton Candy" and was apparent the winner of the season.

She is set to guest star hoot herself with Dominique Dawes and Laurie Hernandez in the episode "A Lowquality 10" of the second season behoove the Disney+ animated series The Self-respecting Family: Louder and Prouder, judging wonderful gymnastics competition.^[99]

Books

Competitive history

See also

References