Gabby Douglas

Nearly a year ago at the USA Gymnastics National Congress, coaches were gossiping about potentially huge news – Olympic champion Gabby Douglas showed up at a gym in Texas and was training – “conditioning and basics” at Metroplex, they’d heard.

Months later, sources confirmed to Gymcastic that Douglas was in fact training at WOGA, though she hadn’t said anything about it herself, and fans were skeptical about the news, or wondered if she was training, was it serious? Was she just trying out a few skills, having a little fun, or was she legitimately preparing to once again commit to the sport at its highest levels?

Today, we finally have our answer from Douglas herself. More than 10 years after winning the all-around gold medal at the Olympic Games in London and seven years after last competing at the Rio Games, Douglas – now 27 – has officially confirmed that she is back and ready to take on the elite world once again.

“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,” Gabby wrote on Instagram in her first post back following an 11-month break from social media. “I wanted to find the joy again for the sport that I absolutely love doing. I know I have a huge task ahead of me and I am beyond grateful and excited to get back out on the floor.”

Douglas is currently not registered for the U.S. Classic, which is just three weeks away. Scott Bregman of the Olympic Channel confirmed with USA Gymnastics that there is still time to file a petition for a spot, but that she would not be able to petition directly to national championships, and would need to earn the required national qualifying score (either an all-around score or a two- or three-event score) at the U.S. Classic in order to compete in San Jose.

Even if she misses out on the 2023 competition season, I think the key factor to Douglas having a successful comeback was returning to the gym in 2022, a full two years before the Paris Olympics. Generally when comebacks haven’t worked out, it’s not because the athlete waited too long to compete, but rather waited too long to begin training again, and even if their skill level was strong, their endurance typically suffered, making complete elite-level routines impossible.

But a solid two years before the Games gives her a great foundation for returning at camps later this year or early in 2024, and with a number of domestic and international opportunities next spring, Douglas would still have plenty of time to test the waters long before any Olympic decisions are finalized.

In addition to confirming her comeback, Douglas also posted a little tease of how things are going on bars, performing a perfect Healy to Ling right to handstand, with the Ling a skill she trained in 2014 while at Chow’s, but ultimately never competed.

With Douglas’ return now coming into fruition, it means the last three Olympic all-around gold medalists might all be contending for spots on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team after both 2016 champion Simone Biles and 2020 champion Sunisa Lee were confirmed for next month’s U.S. Classic. It’s an unprecedented moment for the sport at the global level, and these high-profile comebacks along with NCAA athletes simultaneously competing at the elite level will undoubtedly continue to help change the landscape for older or former elite gymnasts in the U.S. looking to stay competitive on the world stage.

Article by Lauren Hopkins