Gymnast Gabby Douglas, whose performance in 2012 made her the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal in the individual all-around competition, is now gearing up for a repeat performance in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This time however, she will be joined by Simone Biles, who also started to set new records in the field of gymnastics.
Reasons to get excited for the Summer Olympics in Rio: @Simone_Biles and @gabrielledoug https://t.co/yHyKva5Byt pic.twitter.com/iZllJ5gGhU
— People magazine (@people) November 2, 2015
Douglas, 19, took home a silver medal during the recently held 2015 Gymnastic World Championships while fellow gymnast, Biles, bagged four golds for the team, all-around, floor and beam categories, as well as one bronze for vault.
.@Gabrielledoug earns a silver medal after this strong floor exercise routine! #Glasgow2015 #RoadToRio https://t.co/tINDGPNZQU — NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) November 1, 2015
Douglas first came to prominence when she became part of the “Fierce Five” after taking home the Olympic gold medal in 2012 in London but has since taken a two-year break.
Biles, 18, has an impressive record as a gymnast as well. According to the Associated Press, even at a young age, she has collected 10 gold medals, the most number of championship medals earned by an American woman and the most by a female gymnast. She also holds the record of winning three world gymnastics titles in a row.
Amazing! 18-year-old @Simone_Biles just became the most decorated woman gymnast of all time https://t.co/TLOX3MS1DQ pic.twitter.com/jaCqc7TQtu
— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) November 2, 2015
Talking about her accomplishments in an interview with the Associated Press she said: “I just keep blowing my own mind because yes, there are goals that I have and then I dream of it and then I make it a reality. I’m just shocked by myself.”
Even her Olympic title holder teammate Douglas looks up to her. She even called the younger gymnast “amazing” in an interview with USA Today.
“Me and Simone, we really wanted to go out here and just have fun. We’re like, ‘Let’s crush it! Let’s break the events!’ We just really wanted to enjoy it because it goes by so fast,” Douglas said.
She is aiming to become a repeat Olympic gold medalist.
“I’m excited for the road ahead. I’ve got bigger skills coming along.”