Gabby Douglas Eyes Olympics As She Makes Grand Return To Gymnastics

Gabby Douglas three-time Olympic gold medalist is training to return to international gymnastics competition. The last time Gabby competed on the world stage was eight years ago. Here’s what she has to say about her time-off and what motivated her to try and get back to competitive sports.

Gabby Douglas Says 2022 Olympics Inspired Her To Get Back Into Competitive Gymnastics

While Douglas, 28, hadn’t meant to quit gymnastics, taking time off to care for her mental health almost spelled the end for her. That is, until she watched the 2022 Olympics and it ignited the fire to compete again.

In fact, she’s already back to training and on Tuesday, she revealed that she harbors hopes of being in the medal conversation this summer at the Paris Olympics.

“I was watching the 2022 championships, and I was like, ‘Man, I miss competing,’ ” Douglas said on Hallie Jackson NOW. “And I was trying to figure out how to get this — I’m still a competitor at heart —so I decided to start back training.“

She added, “And then I found myself in the gym and I was like, ‘Alright, maybe we can do this again.’ ”

She further revealed that she will be competing at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb. 24, where she will be the oldest athlete at the event.

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Douglas became the first black gymnast to ever win the all-around gold — which she did at the London Olympics in 2012. At the time, she was part of the “Final Five” (which included Simone Biles) who won the team gold in Rio four years later.

“I would just love to go back out there and represent USA one more time and just to have that feeling of being a part of something, being a part of a team again would be amazing and a huge honor,” Douglas said on Tuesday.

In preparation of the upcoming Olympics, the Virginia native is training with five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin’s father, Valeri, at WOGA Gymnastics in North Texas, according to her USA Gymnastics bio.

Gabby Douglas Could Give Team USA A Much-needed Edge On the Uneven Bars at the Olympics

If Douglas is able to get back in form before the Olympics, she would give the USA Team an edge over the uneven bars, which is historically their weakest point in the competition, since it is her signature game.

“I’m super grateful for my body to be able to hold up to this sport and I’ve been doing a lot of recovery,” Douglas said. “And it’s honestly helped me out very much. And I think I love it, I love pushing myself to the limit and I think when you love your craft when you’re willing to work for your craft, it’ll work for you.”

“I never really announced a retirement,” she said. “I never wanted to end this sport how I did in 2016. I wanted to take a step back and work on myself and work on my mental state. I love gymnastics. I love pushing myself every single day and I love the sport, so I never really wanted to walk away on a bad day. And I really want to make sure I really give it my all and end on a good note.”

If Douglas makes the team heading to Paris next year, she will be the oldest American woman to compete in gymnastics since the 1950s, per NBC News.

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