Douglas, Gabby (1995-…), an American gymnast, was a star of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England. Douglas won gold medals in both the individual all-around and team events. She became the first African American in Olympic history to win the individual all-around championship. She was also the first American gymnast to win gold medals in the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympic Games. Douglas’s grace and athleticism and her outgoing personality made her one of the most popular athletes at the games. Douglas also won a gold medal in the team event at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For a description of the gymnastics events mentioned in this article, see Gymnastics (Women’s events).
Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas was born on Dec. 31, 1995, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She began training in gymnastics when she was 6 years old. At the age of 8, she won the all-around gymnastics title for her level at the 2004 Virginia State Championships. When she was 14, Douglas moved from Virginia Beach to West Des Moines, Iowa, to train under Liang Chow. Chow had coached the 2007 world champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson. The rest of Douglas’s family remained in Virginia. While she trained in West Des Moines, Douglas lived with, and was homeschooled by, a host family. In 2013, she left Chow’s gym and relocated to Los Angeles, joining her family, which had moved there.
Douglas began competing nationally in 2010. At the 2010 Pan American Championships, she won the uneven bars event. She also shared the team gold medal won by the United States. At the 2012 National Championships held before the Olympics, Douglas won the gold medal in uneven bars, the silver medal in the all-around competition, and the bronze medal in the floor exercise. Douglas wrote two autobiographies, Grace, Gold and Glory: My Leap of Faith (2012) and Raising the Bar (2013).
