At the 2012 Summer Games in London, Gabby Douglas made history by becoming the first African American woman gymnast to become an all-around champion in gymnastics. That year, she also became the first American to win gold medals in the team and individual all-around events.
Douglas then took two years off before returning to the U.S. National Team in 2014. A year later, she won a gold medal in the team event and silver in the all-around at the 2015 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. In 2016, she returned to the Olympics and helped the team win gold in Brazil.
But then Douglas stepped away from the mat and the bright lights for the next six years before finally returning to training in 2022. Last summer, she announced she would try to make the Olympic team for this year’s Games in Paris.
Yesterday, she told NBC News NOW that she was returning to competition at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb. 24.
“I never announced a retirement,” Douglas told NBC. “I didn’t want to end this sport like I did in 2016. I wanted to take a step back and work on myself and my mental state.”
Douglas faces an uphill battle to make the five-person team as she will have to compete with Olympic champions Sunisa Lee (2020) and the GOAT, Simone Biles (2016).
But like the true competitor she is, Douglas is up for the challenge.
“I honestly love going to the gym and getting my skills back,” Douglas said. “It is very exciting.”
