Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas has withdrawn her 2024 Olympics bid.
Douglas made it official when she exited the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships this weekend, citing an ankle injury suffered during training this week. The move ends her recent comeback attempt to make the 2024 Paris Olympic team after an eight-year hiatus.
Had she made the Olympic squad, the 28-year-old would have been the oldest American woman to compete in an Olympic gymnastics event since 1952.
"I love this sport and I love pushing my limits," Douglas told ESPN. "I hope I can inspire both my peers and the next generation of gymnasts that age is just a number, and you can accomplish anything you work hard for."
A two-time Olympian, Douglas became the first Black gymnast to win the all-around title at an Olympics in 2012. In 2016, she helped the US to back-to-back team golds at the Rio Games. In February 2024, she announced her impending comeback and returned to competition the following April at the American Classic. She also withdrew from her most recent outing at May's Core Hydration Classic after a troubling start at the uneven bars.
Douglas plans to continue to train after recovering from her injury, with an eye on making it to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
"I proved to myself and to the sport that my skills remain at an elite level," Douglas said. "My plan is to continue to train for the LA 2028 Olympics. It would be such an honor to represent the US at a home Olympics."
37-time world and Olympic medalist Simone Biles took first place at the Core Hydration Classic over the weekend, looking every bit the top contender she is.
Earning an all-around score of 59.500, Biles also earned the highest scores in both the vault and floor exercises. She successfully incorporated the triple-twisting double salto into her floor routine for the first time since the qualifying round at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and picked up the highest score of the night — 15.600 — on vault with a Turchenko double pike.
"I was just happy to be back out there," Biles told NBCNews. "As long as we’re there cheering each other on and hoping for the best and having confidence in each other’s gymnastics, then it’s going to work."
Cementing her place as the nation’s second-best all-around gymnast was Shilese Jones, who finished the competition second in the all-around and won the uneven bars with a final score of 15.250.
Reigning all-around Olympic champion Suni Lee won the balance beam event. While she didn’t compete on uneven bars, Lee is aiming to compete in all four events at the 2024 Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships, which kicks off May 30th in Fort Worth.
"I think I’m starting to build a lot more confidence on beam," Lee told reporters after the meet. "I think it’s super important that we start feeling the nerves now because it’s only gonna get harder."
In a surprising turn, three-time Olympic gold medalist and 2012 all-around champion Gabby Douglas wound up withdrawing from the Core Hydration Classic after a rough start on the uneven bars.
Douglas's first return to competition since the 2016 Olympics in Rio came three weeks ago at the American Classic in Katy, Texas. While she finished 10th in the all-around, she scored high enough in the vault and balance beam events to qualify for the US Championships.
"I have to give myself a little bit of grace," Douglas said after her American Classic appearance. "It ended rough for me in 2016, so I didn’t want to end on that note. I want to make sure I end on love and joy instead of hating something that I love."
While Biles's recent performance made her looked like a shoo-in for this summer's Olympics Games, four additional team members and two alternates are yet to be determined.
Of course, there are some familiar faces still in the mix: Jade Carey, who was on Team USA in 2020, placed fourth overall at the Core Classic while medaling in individual events. Fellow 2020 Olympian Jordan Chiles placed third in the all-around.
The US Olympic gymnastics roster will be determined at the Olympic Trials in late June, with athletes qualifying to compete at the Trials at the US Championships.
Former Olympic champion Gabby Douglas is making her return to elite gymnastics, with her eyes on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 27-year-old posted two photos Thursday on Instagram, showing herself training on the balance beam. She wrote in an accompanying caption that she had done “a lot of journaling, reflecting, soul searching and found myself back where it all began.”
“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 wrote. “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 and even more grateful for all of your support and love. It truly means so much. There’s so much to be said but for now… let’s do this #2024.”
Douglas previously has spoken about her mental health, telling USA Today in 2021 that the 2016 Olympics “really did a number on me” while expressing her support for tennis star Naomi Osaka. Osaka had withdrawn from the 2021 French Open, citing her mental health.
In addition to the photos, Douglas posted a video of herself practicing on the uneven bars, her best event.
Douglas won gold in the all-around at the 2012 Olympics, becoming the third straight American woman to do so. Simone Biles and Suni Lee followed her at the 2016 and 2020 Games, extending the Team USA streak to five.
In addition to the all-around title, Douglas also won gold in the team competition and was named AP Female Athlete of the Year in 2012. While she took time off following those Olympics, she returned to elite competition in 2015 and helped the U.S. to another gold in the all-around in 2016.
She never officially retired after the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, but she was absent from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
She becomes the second Olympic champion in recent weeks to make an announcement about plans for Paris. Her 2016 teammate Biles recently announced her return to competition at the U.S. Classic in Chicago in early August.