Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Editor's Picks
Editor's PicksSports

Gabby Douglas: The Olympic Golden Child

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Gabby Douglas – The smallest United States’ woman gymnast provided the biggest thrills and claimed the ultimate Olympic prize Thursday. Gabby Douglas, deemed “The Flying Squirrel” for her daring aerial maneuvers, was nearly flawless in capturing the all-around gold medal, becoming the first woman of color to secure gymnastics’ top accolades.

It was an exhilarating performance by the 4-foot-11, 16-year-old from Virginia Beach. She dazzled the crowd and the judges with her illuminating smile as much as her beautiful tumbles and spectacular body control.

Going into the Games critics said Douglas was most likely to dazzle or fizzle because of the chances she takes. But she has been the former, holding the team together while performing with poise and grace.

Thursday she posted a score of 62.232, which was enough to conquer Russian Victoria Komova, who settled for silver at 61.973, a margin of only .269 points. Douglas posted the highest overall marks in the competition on both vault (15.966) and balance beam (15.500).

But she was particularly dynamic on the final rotation with a high-energy, fun-loving floor routine that mixed explosive tumbling with sassy dance moves. Her jumps were spectacular, her tumbling daring but always in control. Her score, 15.033, forced Komova, the only gymnast in position to overtake her for gold, to have to be perfect to beat her.

Komova almost did. Her floor routine was outstanding, as well, and she stood at the center of the arena staring intently at the scoreboard. When the final standings flashed, her head dropped and she hurried to the sidelines, tears falling.

Aliya Mustafina and American Aly Raisman tied for third at 59.566, but Mustafina won the tiebreaker for the bronze after both gymnasts’ lowest score was dropped.

Douglas gave the U.S. three straight all-around gold medals, following Carly Patterson and 2008 champion Nastia Liukin to make it three straight victories for the Americans in gymnastics’ highest-profile event. The sweep of the all-around and team gold;s in a single Olympics is the U.S.’s first.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top