Gabby Douglas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gabby Douglas OLY
Douglas at the 2016 Olympic Games
Personal information
Full name	Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas
Nickname(s)	Gabby
Country represented	United States
Born	(1995-12-31) December 31, 1995 (age 29) Newport News, Virginia, U.S.
Hometown	Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Residence	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Years on national team	2008–2012, 2014–2016 (USA)
Gym	WOGA Buckeye Gymnastics Chow's Gymnastics
Former coach(es)	Christian Gallardo Kittia Carpenter Dena Walker Gustavo Moure Liang Chow Valeri Liukin
Music	Floor music 2007–08: "Hora Presta" by Gilles Apap & the Transylvanian Mountain Boys 2011–12: "Memories (... Me I'm Famous Remix)" by David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi & "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP 2012: "Bon Bon" by Pitbull, DJ Alvaro mix of "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP. 2015–16: "Dare (La La La)" by Shakira
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 0 0 World Championships 2 1 0 Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around (OG/WC) 1 1 0 Team (OG/WC) 4 0 0 Women's artistic gymnastics Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Team Gold 2012 London All-Around Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team World Championships Gold 2011 Tokyo Team Gold 2015 Glasgow Team Silver 2015 Glasgow All-Around Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2012 Seattle Team Gold 2012 Seattle Uneven Bars Pan American Championships Gold 2010 Guadalajara Team Gold 2010 Guadalajara Uneven Bars FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around World Cup 1 0 0

Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas (born December 31, 1995), known as Gabby Douglas, is a famous American gymnast. She won the all-around gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. She also earned a silver medal in the all-around at the 2015 World Championships.

Gabby was part of the gold-winning U.S. teams at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. These teams were famously called the "Fierce Five" and the "Final Five". She also helped the U.S. teams win gold at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships. In 2012, she was the U.S. champion on uneven bars.

Gabby Douglas made history as the first African American to win an Olympic individual all-around title. She was also the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team events at the same Olympics in 2012. With six Olympic and World Championship medals, she is one of the most decorated U.S. female gymnasts ever.

Her amazing gymnastics success led to a movie about her life, The Gabby Douglas Story. She also had her own reality television show, Douglas Family Gold. Gabby has written a book about her journey to becoming an Olympic gold medalist.

Early Life and Training

Gabby Douglas was born in Newport News, Virginia, and grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Her parents are Timothy Douglas and Natalie Hawkins-Douglas. She has two older sisters, Arielle and Joyelle, and an older brother, Johnathan. Gabby started gymnastics at age six after her sister convinced their mom to sign her up. She began training at Gymstrada in October 2002.

When she was eight, Gabby won the Level 4 all-around gymnastics title at the 2004 Virginia State Championships.

At 14, she moved to Des Moines, Iowa, to train full-time with coach Liang Chow. Her family stayed in Virginia, so Gabby lived with Travis and Missy Parton and their four daughters. Gabby found it hard to be away from her family at first.

Gabby is Christian. She has said, "I believe in God. He is the secret of my success. He gives people talent." She also mentioned that her family practiced some Jewish traditions when she was younger.

Junior Career Highlights

Starting Out in 2008–2009

Gabby made her international debut in 2008 at the US Classic in Houston, Texas. She placed 10th in the all-around. Later that year, she competed at the 2008 Visa Championships.

In 2009, Gabby had a wrist injury, which kept her from competing in some events. She still competed at the 2009 Visa Championships, but only on balance beam and floor exercise.

Success in 2010

In 2010, Gabby competed at the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup, where she placed fourth all-around. Her first elite meet was the 2010 CoverGirl Classic in Chicago, Illinois. There, she placed third on balance beam and ninth all-around in the junior division.

At the 2010 U.S. Junior National Championships, Gabby won a silver medal on balance beam. She also placed fourth all-around. At the 2010 Pan American Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, Gabby won the uneven bars title. She also helped the U.S. team win a gold medal.

In October 2010, Gabby moved to West Des Moines, Iowa, to train with coach Liang Chow. Chow had coached Shawn Johnson, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist. Gabby felt she needed better coaching to reach her Olympic dreams. She was impressed when Chow taught her a difficult vault, the Amanar, in just one afternoon.

Senior Career Highlights

Breakthrough in 2011

In 2011, Gabby was part of the U.S. team that won gold at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy. She also earned a silver medal on uneven bars at the CoverGirl Classic in Chicago.

At the U.S. National Championships, Gabby tied for third on uneven bars. Later, at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Gabby helped the U.S. team win a gold medal.

Olympic Glory in 2012

Douglas at the Secret U.S. Classic in 2012

In March 2012, Gabby had the highest all-around score at the AT&T American Cup. She was an alternate, so her scores didn't officially count for the win. Later that month, she won gold in uneven bars at the Pacific Rim Championships.

At the U.S. National Championships in June, Gabby won gold on uneven bars. She also earned silver in the all-around. The National Team Coordinator, Márta Károlyi, nicknamed Gabby the "Flying Squirrel" for her amazing moves on the uneven bars.

2012 Summer Olympics

At the 2012 Olympic Trials, Gabby placed first in the all-around. This secured her spot on the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.

Douglas (center) on the All-Around podium at the 2012 Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Gabby and her teammates – Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Kyla Ross – won the team event gold medal. They were called the "Fierce Five". Gabby was the only gymnast on the team to compete on all four events during the team finals.

Gabby then won the gold medal in the individual all-around. She became the first African-American woman to win this event. She was also the first American gymnast to win both the team and individual all-around gold at the same Olympics.

Gabby finished eighth in uneven bars and seventh in balance beam.

Comeback and 2015 World Championships

After the 2012 Olympics, Gabby took a break from training. In 2014, she returned to Iowa to train with Coach Chow again. Later, she moved to Ohio to train with Kittia Carpenter at Buckeye Gymnastics. In November 2014, Gabby was added back to the U.S. national team.

In March 2015, Gabby returned to international competition at the 2015 City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy. She helped the USA win team gold. In July, she placed second all-around at the U.S. Classic.

At the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, Gabby helped the U.S. team win another gold medal. She also won a silver medal in the individual all-around. This made her the first reigning Olympic all-around champion since 2001 to win a World Championships medal after returning to the sport.

2016 Olympic Games

Douglas at the 2016 Summer Olympics

In March 2016, Gabby won the all-around title at the 2016 AT&T American Cup. She then competed at the 2016 Secret US Classic and the P&G Championships.

On July 10, Gabby was named to the team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, along with Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman. She and Aly Raisman became part of a small group of American gymnasts to compete in two Olympics.

Douglas celebrating with the other Final Five members at the 2016 Olympic Games

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Gabby helped the United States win a second straight gold medal in the team event. This was her third Olympic gold medal. The team called themselves the "Final Five". Gabby also qualified for the uneven bars final, where she finished seventh. She narrowly missed the all-around final because only two gymnasts from each country can compete.

2022–Present: Return to Gymnastics

In October 2022, news spread that Gabby Douglas had returned to training at WOGA. In February 2023, her coach Valeri Liukin confirmed this. In July 2023, Gabby herself announced on Instagram that she was training to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Douglas competing on uneven bars at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic

Gabby was set to compete at the 2024 Winter Cup but had to withdraw due to COVID-19. Her first competition since the Rio Olympics was the 2024 American Classic. She placed second on vault. She later competed at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic but withdrew after falling on uneven bars. In May 2024, Gabby was injured and withdrew from trying for the Paris Olympic team. However, she hopes to compete for a spot on the Olympic team for 2028 in Los Angeles.

Awards and Recognition

Douglas and the other Fierce Five members meeting President Barack Obama after the 2012 Summer Olympics

In December 2012, the Associated Press named Gabby Douglas the Female Athlete of the Year. She was the fourth gymnast to receive this honor.

Gabby was nominated for a Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year. In June 2013, she received two BET Awards. In 2017, she was nominated for an ESPY Award for Best Team with the other members of the 2016 Olympic women's gymnastics team.

Gabby in the Media

In July 2012, Gabby and her teammates were on the cover of Sports Illustrated Olympic Preview issue. This was the first time an entire Olympic gymnastics team was featured on the magazine's cover. Gabby was also on one of five Time magazine Olympic covers.

Douglas alongside Michelle Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2012

The Kellogg Company put Gabby's picture on special-edition boxes of corn flakes. This broke the tradition of Olympic athletes appearing on Wheaties boxes.

In August 2012, Gabby threw the first pitch at Citi Field for a baseball game. She also spoke about her experiences with bullying in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

In September 2012, Nintendo announced Gabby would be part of an ad campaign for New Super Mario Bros. 2. She also led the Pledge of Allegiance at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

In December 2012, Gabby released her autobiography, Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith. The book became a bestseller. She also performed a short floor routine at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.

Gabby had a small acting role on the Disney XD series Kickin It in 2013. The Gabby Douglas Story, a movie about her life, aired in 2014. She performed all the gymnastics stunts herself. Her reality TV show, Douglas Family Gold, premiered in 2016. In 2016, Gabby was a judge at the Miss America pageant.

Gymnastics equipment used by Gabby at the 2012 Summer Olympics is now at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2020, Gabby won The Masked Dancer as "Cotton Candy." She is also set to appear as herself in an episode of the Disney+ animated series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

Books by Gabby Douglas

• Douglas, Gabrielle; Burford, Michelle (2012). Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith. Zondervan. 224pp. 978-0310740681.
• Douglas, Gabrielle (2013). Raising The Bar. Zondervan. 144 pp. 978-0-310-74070-4.

Competitive History

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
2008	U.S. Classic		10	16	8	13	13
	Visa Championships		16	21	20	12	17
2009	Visa Championships					5
2010	Nastia Liukin Cup		4
	Pan American Championships		5
	Covergirl Classic		9	6
	U.S. National Championships		4	4			8
Senior
2011	City of Jesolo Trophy		4
	Covergirl Classic
	U.S. National Championships		7
	World Championships				5
2012	Pacific Rim Championships
	Secret U.S. Classic					7
	U.S. National Championships					7
	Olympic Trials					6
	Olympic Games				8	7
2013	did not compete
2014
2015	City of Jesolo Trophy		4
	Secret U.S. Classic
	U.S. National Championships		5		4	9	6
	World Championships				5
2016	American Cup
	City of Jesolo Trophy
	Secret U.S. Classic					6
	U.S. National Championships		4		6	6	5
	Olympic Trials		7	6		11	6
	Olympic Games				7
2024	American Classic		10		20	5	19
	U.S. Classic				43
	U.S. National Championships			WD	WD	WD

See also

In Spanish: Gabrielle Douglas para niños

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for the United States