American gymnast Gabby Douglas performed in the women’s team event in the 2012 Summer Olympics. She and her teammates are known as the “Fierce Five.”
This summer, Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas went to London to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. The 16-year-old gymnast won two gold medals there. She got one gold medal for getting the highest combined score in all four events in women’s gymnastics. The events are the vault, balance beam, uneven bars, and floor exercise. Gabby won her second gold medal with her teammates in the women’s gymnastics team event.
When Gabby was only three years old, her older sister Arielle taught her to do a cartwheel. Gabby learned so well that Arielle thought she would be good at gymnastics. Arielle told their mother that Gabby should take lessons. Gabby began learning gymnastics at the age of six in her home town of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
In 2008, Gabby watched American gymnast Shawn Johnson win gold and silver medals in the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. She thought it would help her to train with Shawn’s coach, Liang Chow. Gabby moved to Iowa to train with him. She had to live away from her family for a time.
After winning two gold medals this year, things have changed a lot for Gabby. She has been a guest on many television shows. Her picture has been on magazine covers and on a cereal box. But Gabby is still working hard on her training. She hopes to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She also wants to go to college. She knows that hard work and an education can help her achieve her goals.
Image credit: ©Emmanual Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
Related Links
- Official Website for USA Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas
See photos and videos of Gabby Douglas, and find out the latest news about her. - Gabby Douglas Biography
Read about Gabby Douglas’s life and accomplishments. - Gabrielle Douglas’s Rise to Olympic Triumph
View a slide show of Gabby Douglas’s Olympic highlights.
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