Gabby Douglas Biography

The American artistic gymnast Gabby Douglas was born in 1995 in Newport News, Virginia. Young Gabby’s interest in gymnastics began to grow as a small child, when at the age of four her parents enrolled her in classes and quickly found that she had both a love and a talent for the sport. By the time she was eight years old, Gabby Douglas had started to win competitions in her home stage of Virginia.

By the time she was fourteen, Gabby Douglas moved without her family to Des Moines, Iowa, to live with family friends and train under renowned coach Liang Chow. Gabby’s national debut took place in Houston, Texas, during the 2008 US Classic, in which she placed 10^th in the competition. By 2010, Douglas had risen to third place on the balance beam in the 2010 CoverGirl Classic, and by 2012, she had earned the highest all-around score at the AT&T American Cup at Madison Square Garden.

Later that year, Gabby secured her spot for the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she became an audience favorite right away. As the first African American female to become the individual all-around champion, Gabby faced both enthusiasm for her achievements and racist judgment, a struggle she shared with Oprah during an interview with her later that year. Ultimately, Gabby Douglas went on to become the darling of the Summer Olympics, winning multiple gold medals in a number of competitive categories and earning the title of Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.

After the Olympics of 2012, Gabby Douglas returned to Los Angeles to again live with her family, and later that year she published her autobiography: Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith. In 2015, she competed again internationally in Jesolo, Italy, helping the United States team win gold for the competition. Currently, Gabby is attempting to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.