Olympic champion Gabby Douglas confirmed Thursday that she is returning to competitive gymnastics and has her eyes set on the 2024 Paris Olympics. On an Instagram post, the 27-year-old said she is excited to get back to the sport she loves.
Douglas took a social media break almost a year ago. On Aug. 14, 2022, she shared that she wanted to take a step back and focus on her mental health.
"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," Douglas wrote on Instagram this week. "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."
She made her Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London where. That competition was a huge success for her career as she became the first U.S. gymnast to win the individual all-around and team titles at the same Olympic Games. Douglas also became the first African American to win the all-around. Four years later, she earned another team gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.
This week, Douglas said she had been wanting to "find the joy again" for gymnastics, and that while she understands she has a huge task ahead of her to get back to the Olympic floor, she is excited to return.
"loading...." she wrote in a post in which she shared a video of her training.
Douglas is not the only high-profile gymnast making a return. Simone Biles, the 2016 individual all-around Olympic champion, confirmed she will compete at next month's U.S. Classic -- which would e her first competition since Tokyo 2020. According to USA Today, Douglas did not attend the recent national team training camp, but Biles was in attendance for the first time since 2021.
