21-year-old Gabby Douglas is a three-time Olympic champion. The American athlete does not stop there. She is constantly ready for new victories.
Biography
Gabby Douglas is a gymnast from the USA. She was born into a Christian family in Virginia in Newport News. With her mother Natalie Hawkins and dad Timothy Douglas, the girl lived until she was fourteen. In addition to her, the family has two more children. The athlete's birthday is December 31, 1995.
Gabby's full name is Gabriel Cristina Victoria Douglas. It means "strong man of God." Thanks to her older sister Ariel, in 2001, the girl began to attend gymnastics training. At the age of 6, Gabriel first entered the section. Her mentor was Dan Walker.
Gabby Douglas has a great desire for victory and perseverance. The girl in two years of training was able to achieve good results. At the age of eight, she already won her first gold medal. In 2004, Gabby performed in the all-around gymnastics at the Virginia Championship, where she won.
Way to victory
Gabby Douglas, whose biography has been continuing in the city of West Des Moines in Iowa since mid-autumn 2009 , left her home at the age of 14. The athlete changed her place of residence in order to reach a new, higher level of training. In West Des Moines, a well-known high-profile trainer Liane Chow invited the gymnast.
Under the guidance of a new mentor, the girl was able to significantly improve her abilities. She learned to perform complex elements. Since training took a lot of time, Gabriel had to switch to home schooling. During my stay in Iowa, Gabby Douglas was very strongly supported by her mother. Several times a day, she sent her daughter inspirational messages with Bible verses. The girl believed in God. She fell asleep almost every night with headphones in her ears, listening to passages of Scripture.
Sports career development
In 2010, Gabby Douglas first participated in the Anastasia Lyukin Super Cup, where she took 4th place in the all-around. She also performed at CoverGirl in Chicago and was on the ninth step in the same sport. At the US Junior Championships, the gymnast again won fourth place in the all-around.
In 2011, Gabriel went to Italy for the Jesolo tournament, where she achieved an excellent result. The athlete participated in team competitions and received gold. She took second place in floor exercises, third in performance on a log, fourth in all-around and vaulting. At the age of fifteen, the gymnast entered the US team. With her help, at the World Championships in Tokyo, the American team won gold.
Gabriel Achievements
In 2012, Gabby Douglas successfully performed at the US Cup. Here the young athlete was recognized as the best gymnast among girls. In these points competitions, she was ahead of world champion Jordin Weber. But, unfortunately, Gabriel did not count points, since the girl was listed in the list of spare.
In the same year, Gabby participated in the championship of the Pacific region. In the tournament, she won gold in team competitions and individually on the uneven bars. After a successful performance, the gymnast has the nickname "Flying Squirrel." In 2012, Gabby Douglas was included in the list of participants in the US national team at the London Olympics. A photo of the young athlete immediately appeared on the covers of Time and Sports Illustrated magazines. The girl also spoke on the talk show of Brian Williams.
Victory in London and Rio de Janeiro
At the 2012 Olympics, Gabby Douglas won the title of two-time champion. The American gymnast performed in all the shells in team competitions and individually in the all-around. Having won two golds, she was recognized as the first African-American Olympic champion in gymnastics. For victories in London, Douglas thanked God and her parents. At these international competitions, Gabby unsuccessfully performed only exercises on uneven bars and on a log. She took the last and 7th place respectively.
In 2015, the athlete helped get the gold of the American team at the World Cup. Also, the gymnast became the silver medalist in the all-around. Gabby Douglas for twelve years of hard and hard training has retained the desire for victory. And in 2016 at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she won the third gold medal. The athlete won the all-around in the team event.
"The Story of Gabriel Douglas"
Having become a three-time Olympic champion, Gabby starred in the Douglas Family Gold reality show for the television channel Oxygen. She was also invited to join the jury of the Miss America 2017 contest. In 2014, an hour and a half movie titled "The Story of Gabriel Douglas" appeared on blue screens. The film was shot on the basis of real facts from Gabby's life. The gymnast played herself in it.
The film shows the entire path of the athlete to victory, her difficulties are reflected in detail. In the motion picture the daily many hours of training gymnasts, her injuries and experiences are highlighted. Thanks to the film, many learned about an incredible fact from Gabby's life. In childhood, the Olympic champion was diagnosed with a metabolic disorder and a rare blood defect. But the disease could not break the strong spirit of the athlete and was not an obstacle to victory.