Gabby Douglas, or Gabrielle as she prefers to be called has reached the top of her spot as a gymnast. At the 2012 London Olympics Douglas became the first American gymnast to win gold in the individual and team all-around gymnastics competitions at the same Olympic Games and the first African-American to win gold in individual. Her accomplishments came with sacrifices and unexpected controversy but night deterred Douglas who recently shared her secret.
“I just had a motivation in me. I think that when you have a dream, you won’t let anyone stop you. So you just want to love what you do and have fun, because it’s your passion, so you just want to go out there, have fun and love it.”
In addition to her gold medals, Douglas was awarded from the Women’s Sports Foundation with the Sportswoman of the Year honor.
The gymnast won the award Wednesday night, beating out Lindsey Vonn, Serena Williams, Missy Franklin, Allyson Felix, and Paralympians Jessica Long and Tatyana McFadden. Douglas is the third gymnast to win the award, joining fellow Olympic gold medalists Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Nastia Liukin (2008). Liukin presented Douglas with the award, given to an individual athlete who exhibits exceptional performances.
Douglas is also set to release her inspirational memoir “Grace, Gold and Glory, My Leap of Faith,” which will focus on leaving home in Virginia at the age of 12 to train for the Olympics in December.
