Current:Home > MarketsGabby Douglas to return to gymnastics competition for first time in eight years-InfoLens
Gabby Douglas to return to gymnastics competition for first time in eight years
View Date:2024-12-23 10:13:18
Gabby Douglas plans to compete for the first time in almost eight years later this month.
The 2012 Olympic all-around champion confirmed Tuesday that she will compete at Winter Cup, which is Feb. 24 in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s the first of several meets Douglas will have to do if she’s to make it to the Paris Olympics.
“I’m super excited to get back out there,” Douglas said during an interview on NBC News NOW. “I would love to go back out there and represent the USA just one more time.”
Douglas is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. In addition to her all-around title, the first by a Black gymnast, she and the “Fierce Five” won the team gold in London. After taking a break, Douglas returned to the sport ahead of the Rio Olympics and was part of the team that won gold at the 2016 Games.
Though Douglas never officially retired, another return seemed unlikely as the years passed. But rumors began circulating in 2022 that she had resumed training, and Douglas confirmed it last July with an Instagram post. She “wanted to find the joy again for the sport that I absolutely love doing,” she wrote, and indicated her goal was to compete in Paris.
“I didn’t want to end the sport how I did in 2016,” Douglas, who was subjected to relentless personal attacks in both London and Rio, said Tuesday.
“I wanted to take a step back and work on myself and work on my mental state,” she added. “I love pushing myself every single day and I love the sport. So I never wanted to walk away on a bad day. I really want to make sure I put in my all and end on a good note.”
Douglas turned 28 on Dec. 31 and would be the oldest U.S. woman gymnast to compete at an Olympics since a youth movement swept the sport in the 1970s. But she said her body is holding up well. Though she spends “a little bit more time” on uneven bars, her signature event, she is training to do the all-around.
After Winter Cup, Douglas said she hopes to do “a few more assignments” before the U.S. Classic in May. That meet serves as a qualifier for the national championships, which are May 30-June 2 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Olympic trials are June 27-30 in Minneapolis.
“I’m feeling excited, nervous, grateful, a little bit timid. But I think that’s normal. It’s been such a long time,” Douglas said. “I’m excited to get back out there, be with everyone, get my feet wet a little bit after eight years out, and then I think I’ll be good to go.”
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump’s classified documents case
- A small venture capital player becomes a symbol in the fight over corporate diversity policies
- 2 accused of hanging an antisemitic banners on a Florida highway overpass surrender to face charges
- Crash involving school van kills teen and injures 5 others, including 2 adults
- Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown Alleges Ex Kody Made False Claims About Family’s Finances
- Russell Brand's assault, rape allegations being investigated: What his accusers say happened
- In 'Starfield', human destiny is written in the stars
- Danica McKellar Reveals Teen Love Triangle With Candace Cameron Bure and Jeremy Miller
- California farmers enjoy pistachio boom, with much of it headed to China
- UK’s new online safety law adds to crackdown on Big Tech companies
Ranking
- Florida State can't afford to fire Mike Norvell -- and can't afford to keep him
- McDonald's faces lawsuit over scalding coffee that left woman with severe burns
- Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard leads 12 to watch as NHL training camps open
- Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol pitches in front of mom after 7 years apart: 'Incredible'
- The Daily Money: Mattel's 'Wicked' mistake
- Meet Methuselah: The world's oldest known aquarium fish is at least 92, DNA shows
- White homeowner who shot Black teen Ralph Yarl after he mistakenly went to his home pleads not guilty
- DeSantis plays up fight with House speaker after McCarthy said he is not on the same level as Trump
Recommendation
-
Jana Kramer’s Ex Mike Caussin Shares Resentment Over Her Child Support Payments
-
Gates Foundation commits $200 million to pay for medical supplies, contraception
-
Inside a Ukrainian brigade’s battle ‘through hell’ to reclaim a village on the way to Bakhmut
-
A man shot by police while firing a rifle to celebrate a new gun law has been arrested, police say
-
Dozens indicted over NYC gang warfare that led to the deaths of four bystanders
-
Fishmongers found a rare blue lobster. Instead of selling it, they found a place it could live a happy life
-
Russell Brand's assault, rape allegations being investigated: What his accusers say happened
-
Tom Brady Reacts to Rumor He'll Replace Aaron Rodgers on New York Jets NFL Team