With three Olympic Gold medals and three World Championship medals under her belt, Gabby Douglas has been the most loved gymnast of this decade. She burst into the hearts and minds of mainstream American in 2012 during the London Olympic Games when she became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic Gold medal in the All-Around individual event. Since then, Douglas has been one of the most influential female athletes in the world and is continuously at the center of pop culture.
Douglas began her gymnastics career at the early age of six, and by eight, had already won her first major title as the 2004 Virginia State Champion. When she was only 16, she was selected to represent America as a member of the Olympic Women’s Gymnastics team to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. It was in London where Douglas made her mark by winning the Gold in both the All-Around Individual and Team competitions at the same Olympics.
After the London games, Douglas’ stardom took off and she became a teen sensation. Corporations quickly took note of her popularity and she signed on as a spokesperson for major blue-chip brands including Nike, Capri Sun, Proctor & Gamble, Royal Caribbean, AT&T, Target, McDonald’s and more. Douglas also made appearances on “The Tonight Show” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and was named to Barbara Walters’ list as one of the “10 Most Fascinating People of 2012.” In support of President Barack Obama, she led the Pledge of Allegiance at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, was nominated for an ESPY Award, and was named the 2012 Associated Press “Female Athlete of the Year.”
Douglas has released two New York Times bestselling books titled Raising the Bar and Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith. In 2013, her life story was portrayed in the Lifetime Network’s movie of the week called “The Gabby Douglas Story” and in the lead up to the 2016 Rio Olympics, her Olympic journey was documented on Oxygen Network’s reality television show, “Douglas Family Gold.”
After the London Olympics, Douglas knew she had more to give on the gymnastics floor and decided to do the near impossible – go for another Gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. After overcoming the odds, she successfully made her second Olympic gymnastics team and represented her country once again, winning her third Gold medal in the Team Competition, and making her the only All-Around Olympic Gold medal gymnast in US history to return to a second Olympics.
Following the 2016 Games, Douglas continued to be a trailblazer, releasing her own line of lip gloss with “Beauty Bakerie,” and working with the philanthropic group “Hack Harassment” to put an end to cyber bullying. Most recently, she launched her signature “Gabby Douglas Barbie Doll” with Mattel.
On screen, Douglas will next be seen in the 2019 Paramount Players and BET production of What Men Want, directed by Adam Shankman and starring Taraji P. Henson.
