Sport
London 2012: Gabby Douglas gunning for gold – athlete to watch
Gabby Douglas. PHOTO/Kyle Terada/US Presswire
Gabby Douglas, 16, is a gymnast to watch at the London Olympics. She finished first at the U.S. Olympic trials to earn an automatic berth on the U.S. team.
In London, Douglas hopes to match the feats of another African-American gymnast who excelled at the Olympics.
Douglas is the only African-American on the U.S. women’s team. Her top role model is Dominique Dawes, a three-time Olympian and the first African-American to win a medal in an individual Olympic gymnastics event.
Douglas was in awe the first time she met Dawes, the bronze medal winner in the floor exercise and a team gold medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Reigning world champion Jordyn Wieber is considered the premier U.S. women’s gymnast. But Douglas recently upset Wieber in all-around at the U.S. Olympic trials by one-10th of a point.
