FORT WORTH, Texas — Gabby Douglas’ comeback is over.
Douglas, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, withdrew from this weekend’s U.S. championships on Wednesday after a nearly eight-year hiatus, ending his hopes of making the U.S. team for this summer’s Paris Olympics. Douglas told ESPN he injured his ankle during training this week. His agent, Lowell Taub, declined to comment further.
“I spoke to her today,” said Chelsea Memmel, now the women’s program technical lead for USA Gymnastics, who understands Douglas’ situation better than anyone because she attempted a comeback three years ago, 10 years after her last competition.
“We had a really good talk, and I said, ‘I know exactly how you feel,’ and when you come back as an athlete when you’re older, it changes how you feel competing,” said Memmel, who was part of the U.S. Olympic silver medal-winning team in 2008. “I’m disappointed for her, but her body is her No. 1 priority, and that’s the smart thing to do.”
The announcement was not a surprise, as Douglas struggled in her first two competitions since the Rio Olympics. She fell twice on the uneven bars, her specialty event, at the American Classic on April 27. She looked good in practice leading up to the American Classic on May 18, but fell again twice on the uneven bars and withdrew from one event.
Douglas’s expression was serious as she came off the podium in Hartford, Connecticut, knowing how tough the road ahead was for her. To qualify for the all-around at the U.S. Championships, she needed to score 51 points or more at the U.S. Classic, but her 10.1 points on the balance beam made that a tall order. She had already qualified for three events at the U.S. Championships (vault, balance beam and horizontal bars) with her performance at the American Classic, but she needed a near-perfect performance at the U.S. to earn an invite to the Olympic Trials next month.
“Honestly, I didn’t play the best I wanted to,” Douglas said of the American Classic, her first competition since the Rio Olympics in 2016. “But it’s been a while, so I have to be a little lenient with myself.”
Douglas is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, winning team gold in 2012 and 2016, as well as the all-around title in London. She retired from competitive gymnastics after the Rio Games, saying at the U.S. Classic that she “hated” gymnastics at the time. Douglas, the first black woman to win the all-around Olympic title, faced relentless criticism from fans in both 2012 and 2016. She was mocked for her hairstyle, reprimanded for her behavior during the national anthem, and some fans still mistakenly say she did not deserve to be on the Rio team.
Douglas had the third-highest qualifying score in Rio, behind Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, but did not advance to the all-around final due to the limit of two skaters per country. She had the second-highest score for the United States on the uneven bars in both the qualifying and team finals, but any hopes of Russia catching up with the Americans in that event were effectively ended.
“2016 was a tough year for me,” Douglas said.
Although Douglas never officially retired, most people assumed she had quit gymnastics. However, while watching the 2022 U.S. Championships, she missed gymnastics and wanted to end her career on her own terms. Within a few months, rumors circulated that she was training at WOGA, a gym outside Dallas. The gym is run by the parents of 2008 Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin. Douglas admitted to this in July last year and began posting videos she had taken at the gym.
“Whatever the outcome, I want it to end with love and joy, not hate for the things I love,” Douglas said.
When asked if he still felt that way, Douglas replied, “I do! Yes, I do.”
But even though her love for gymnastics had returned, Douglas just didn’t have enough time. Performing in competitions is different from performing in training, and after such a long absence, two competitions just wasn’t enough for Douglas.
“I love the sport and I love pushing my limits,” Douglas told ESPN. “I hope I can inspire my generation and future generations of gymnasts that age is just a number and that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything.”
