Olympic Gymnast Gabby Douglas Says She’s ‘Back Where It All Began’ While Teasing 2024 Return: ‘I’m Beyond Grateful & Excited To Get Back Out On The Floor’

Gabby Douglas

Olympic Gymnast Gabby Douglas Says She’s ‘Back Where It All Began’ While Teasing 2024 Return: ‘I’m Beyond Grateful & Excited To Get Back Out On The Floor’

Gymnastics star Gabby Douglas is seemingly getting ready for competition.

In a series of Instagram posts, the first Black gymnast to ever become an Olympic all-around champion hinted at plans to return professionally after walking away from the sport nearly 7 years ago.

Gabby Douglas

Earlier today (July 13th), Gabby Douglas posted black and white pictures of herself on the balance beam, which the athlete has previously hailed as one of her “favorite skills to perform.” As a caption for the post, the 27-year-old touched on distancing herself from social media, explaining the positive impact it has had on her life. She wrote:

“hey guys…as you all know i stepped back from the socials and in that time i did a lot of journaling, reflecting, soul searching
and found myself back where it all began.”

And continued:

“it’s so easy to suppress and run away from facing darkness and fears/for many years, i’ve had an ache in my heart but i didn’t want to keep carrying anger, pain, sadness, or regret and through my tears and hurt, i’ve found peace/i wanted to find the joy again for the sport that i absolutely love doing.”

Douglas hasn’t competed in the Olympics since the Rio Games in 2016. At the time, the gymnast was a U.S. hero, helping the nation win a second consecutive gold medal. Unfortunately, the then 20-year-old was additionally subjected to continuous online bullying and ridicule. As we reported, the athlete’s mother Natalie Hawkins spoke out against her daughter’s internet bashers at the time, revealing how Douglas was suffering emotionally due to criticisms about her skin and hair features.

The following year, the young sports star was back in the limelight after the detestable actions of former U.S. gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar came to the forefront. In case you’re unfamiliar, the now-jailed professional was accused and found guilty of sexually assaulting several young gymnasts during his time working in the field. Gymnastics superstar Aly Raisman was one of the first to speak out about Nassar’s assault, which ultimately led to his 60-year prison sentence. Douglas initially caught flack for seemingly taking a stance against her fellow athletes, stating that women should “dress modestly” and not “entice the wrong crowd.” However, she eventually claimed she too had been victimized. 

After all the drama went down, Douglas seemingly took a long pause, stepping away from social media and gymnastics altogether. Back in August of last year, the athlete announced her departure, stating she needed to take some time to work on her mental health. Now, it seems Douglas is ready to put her best foot forward. At the end of her recent post, she concluded:

“i know i have a huge task ahead of me and i am beyond grateful and excited to get back out on the floor/and even more grateful for all of your support and love. it truly means so much, there’s so much to be said but for now….let’s do this #2024″

The 2024 nod indicates that Douglas plans to be prepared for the next Olympic games set for Paris next year. Reportedly, Simone Biles is also training to partake in the competition as well.

[VIA]

Are you excited to see Gabby Douglas back on the floor? Let us know in the comments section below!