Injuries are one of the unfortunate equalizers in the world of sports. Whether you're a world-class star or a newcomer trying to prove your worth, you're reliant on your body. Good luck (and health) can set the stage for success; a bad break (literally or figuratively) could change things for the worse.
Ahead of the 2024 Paris , Gabby Douglas, 28, found herself on the wrong side of the ledger. Despite a decorated career, which features three Olympic gold medals and plenty of other honors, the gymnast won't be heading to Paris. An ankle injury forced her to withdraw from the U.
S. Gymnastics Championships, ending any chance of qualifying for the main event. It goes without saying that professional athletes must be competitive, and that's certainly true for Douglas.
Not only did she push through hardships to reach the top of her game, but, ahead of the 2024 Olympics, she partnered with AncestryDNA for ; her profile highlighted some outstanding traits, like an affinity for being competitive. With all of that in mind, how hard was it to make the decision to step back and give up on a chance at 2024 glory in favor of the longer game? "Yeah, it's very, very hard," Douglas told . "I'm like, again, one of the traits is I'm very competitive, and so that's my favorite thing about gymnastics: competing.
And so it was very, very hard to make that decision, to be like, 'OK, like, should I push myself and, you know, kind of make my foot worse in the end?' Or is it 'OK, let's take a different route, rest my foot and do bigger and better things when I'm healthy and my foot, you know, can do what it needs to do?' So, it was very, very hard for me. I was contemplating it awhile. In that moment, there was a lot, I was like, 'Should I .
.. no, I want to .
..' And, yeah, for me I was very, very torn.
" Ultimately, though, the decision was made. "It's bittersweet, but I am, I've been super grateful to have the career that I've had and also to kind of move on from this and, like I said, continue my gymnastics career and even do more things that I didn't do in my previous era," she continued. And, just like absence makes the heart grow fonder, there's no better way to fire up an athlete than forcing them to sit on the sidelines.
"Oh yeah, that definitely motivates me, like very quickly," Douglas added. "Like I'll just be on the couch and when I see something, I'll literally be so impulsive [and] be like, 'I need to go do something. I need to go to the gym, like I need to get this.
'" Those impulses will also apply to the 2024 Games. "I love looking at other athletes and seeing how I can better myself. And I love looking at different countries to see like 'Oh, can I do that? I would love to do that skill.
' So I'll definitely be watching." As a TV viewer, the Olympics can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand there are countless athletes stepping into the spotlight, providing a near-limitless opportunity to see world-class talent; on the other, so many competitors and sports can make it tricky to prioritize your focus.
But Douglas knows a thing or two about gymnastics talent—she has competed alongside the likes of Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney, after all—which provides a bit of a shortcut. When in doubt, we can watch who she's watching. And during the Paris Olympics, there will be two gymnasts who earned a specific shoutout.
"Yeah, I have been a fan of two girls," Douglas said. "I would say Rebeca Andrade. I think she's very, I love her gymnastics.
Very beautiful, very consistent, powerhouse." "And also, two, the one girl I love on bars, she's from Algeria, moved to Algeria; her name is Kaylia Nemour," she continued. "And her whole bar routine is connected, it's stunning.
And, yeah, definitely excited to see those two athletes." Who knows, maybe one of their routines will generate an idea that pushes Douglas even further. One of her strengths, after all, is determination.
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