Gabby Douglas Ends Bid to Join Team USA at 2024 Olympics After Suffering Another Setback
The gymnast has three Olympic gold medals from competing in the London and Rio Games.
Gabby Douglas is bowing out of the competition — but you haven't seen the last of her yet.
The gymnast confirmed Wednesday, May 29 that she will not be competing at the upcoming U.S. Championships, taking her out of the running for a spot on Team USA's Olympics squad, NBC News reported. It would've been the 28-year-old's last chance to qualify for the Olympic gymnastics trials, slated to take place June 27-30.
Douglas recently withdrew from the Core Hydration Classic, which took place in Hartford, Connecticut, earlier this month, after falling twice on the uneven bars.
She was set to give it another go at the U.S. Championships in three events, but she suffered an ankle injury while training this week.
"I love this sport and I love pushing my limits," Douglas told ESPN. "I hope I can inspire both my peers and the next generation of gymnasts that age is just a number and you can accomplish anything you work hard for."
Gabby Douglas sets her sights on L.A. 2028
While she won't be competing in Paris this summer, Douglas remains determined to represent Team USA at the Olympics for a third time. She told ESPN she'll continue to train and prepare herself for a bid to compete at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
"I proved to myself and to the sport that my skills remain at an elite level," she shared. "It would be such an honor to represent the U.S. at a home Olympics."
If she earns a spot on Team USA in 2028, she will be 32, making her the oldest American woman to compete in gymnastics at the Games since 1952.
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Douglas' Return to the Sport
Douglas has already made history in the sport, having become the only Black woman to ever win first place in the All-Around event at the 2012 London Olympics.
After competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Douglas took a break from gymnastics and skipped the 2020 Tokyo Games. Fans assumed that, in doing so, Douglas had effectively retired from competition, but she proved them all wrong when she announced on Hallie Jackson Now in February that she was competing at the Winter Cup.
"After watching the 2022 championships, I was like 'I miss competing.' ... I found myself in the gym, and I was like, 'All right, maybe I could do this again,'" she told Jackson.
Unfortunately, she tested positive for Covid days before the competition, forcing her to delay her return to the mat until the American Katy Classic in April. At the competition, she placed 10th and qualified for the All-Around portion.
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