Gabby Douglas, who won the gold medal in the Olympics, made history by becoming the first Black woman to ever win the gold medal in the individual all-around category at the Olympics. Recently, however, she said that despite her success, she thinks that she is being “bullied” by her followers.
Recently, a user of TikTok uploaded a video in which she expressed her dissatisfaction with the way in which the general public seemed to disregard Douglas, who is now 28 years old, in the wake of the rise and popularity of Simone Biles, who is now the reigning Olympic record holder and the face of women’s gymnastics.
“I still never forget how ya’ll fumble Gabby Douglas,” the lady, who goes by the handle legacy.jai, remarked in the tape that lasted for thirty-two seconds. “When Simone Biles appeared on the scene, you all completely abandoned her like it was a bad habit.”
She continued by asking, “Tell me, when was the last time you thought about Gabby Douglas?”
After then, on Tuesday, August 6, Douglas provided a response to the video. “Don’t worry about it! Being persecuted on a consistent basis is really exhausting and wearing on me. She expressed her desire to “just live my life and be at peace” in the comments section of the post.
The gymnast continued by saying, “Thank you for the love! Without a doubt, indispensable in this life.”
Biles recently told PEOPLE that Douglas was an inspiration to her when she was discussing the recent Olympic podium that was totally made up of Black gymnasts for the first time. This coming after Biles’ Olympic winning run at the Paris Summer Games, Biles said that Douglas motivated her to do better.
“It was more of a representation,” Biles remarked. “For all of the young girls and boys who look like us, for them to have faith in themselves and realize that they are capable of doing the same things us. When I was in their position, I saw Gabby Douglas’ victory, and I thought to myself, “Oh my god, if she can do it, I can do it as well.”
People magazine published an interview with Douglas in July, in which she discussed the injuries that led her to withdraw from the Olympics in Paris and her aspirations to participate in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
She described her ankle injury, which she sustained while training during the week leading up to the United States Gymnastics Championships, as “very bittersweet.” She said, “It was very bittersweet.” I was really doing my hallmark technique, which is the standing full on the beam, and it was a very successful performance.
Regarding her future return to the Olympics, Douglas said, “I am aware that it will be four years before I compete again, but I am looking forward to it.” Not only am I still competing for the United States of America, but I am also continuing to compete in gymnastics.
She is aware of the fact that Douglas will be 32 years old by the time the next Summer Games are held, and she is concerned about this fact. On the other hand, she is of the opinion that she is not completely out of the question to compete once again.
“At this point, I feel like age is really just a number because my body can still do amazing things even at the age of 28,” she said in an interview with People magazine. “And I just think that when you have the right diet, structure, schedule, and everything else that aligns, then you are able to accomplish anything that you set your mind to,” she said.