Gabby Douglas, who has won three Olympic gold medals, will not be competing at the U.S. gymnastics championships this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. She has decided to withdraw due to an ankle injury she sustained during training this week.
Douglas’ injury has put an end to his unlikely attempt to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic team. This comes after taking an eight-year break. Douglas, who was 28 years old, would have been the oldest American woman to compete in gymnastics at the Olympics since 1952. Even though she was injured, Douglas said she is proud of what she achieved during her 18-month comeback.
“I really enjoy this sport and I enjoy challenging myself,” Douglas told ESPN. “I want to motivate both people my age and the younger generation of gymnasts by showing them that age doesn’t matter, and that you can achieve anything if you put in the effort.”
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Douglas is a gymnast who has competed in the Olympics twice. She made history by becoming the first Black gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title at the 2012 London Games. She also played a key role in helping the U.S. team win gold medals in both London and Rio in 2016. In February, she announced that she was coming back and in April, she competed again at the American Classic in Katy, Texas. She did well enough to qualify for the U.S. championships.
In the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, last month, Douglas had a hard time on bars and then decided to not continue with the rest of the competition. Her last opportunity to qualify for the Olympic trials in Minneapolis in June would have been at the U.S. championships. Instead, she intends to heal from her injury and start preparing for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, which will take place when she is 32 years old.
“I have shown myself and the sport that I still have exceptional skills,” said Douglas. She also intends to work with her long-time representative, Lowell Taub of Range Sports, again. “I plan to keep training for the L.A. 2028 Olympics.” “I would feel very proud to represent the United States at an Olympics that is held in our own country.”
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