“I was always a super daredevil..” For the longest time, this 29-year-old gymnastics veteran has tested her limits. But lately, it feels like fate is the one doing the pushing. 2024 was a rough year for her—she had to drop out of the U.S. Championships because of an ankle injury, which also crushed her Paris Olympic dreams. And just when she was opening up about all the bloody details from that time, the jinx carried into 2025. It seems like she’s gotten another injury scare now!

Yes, we’re talking about none other than Gabby Douglas. This 2012 Olympic gold medalist has had the odds stacked against her for a while. At Rio 2016, Douglas had to miss out on the all-around final despite finishing third, as only two athletes from a nation were allowed. She returned to the mats in April 2024, only to face an ankle injury that trashed her plans. And now, the fate for 2025 looks unclear. Is it another year, another delay?

Well, as seen in an Instagram story uploaded by Gabby Douglas on January 23rd, she’s clearly having a rough start to the year.The gymnast has uploaded a bloody image of her index finger, with the caption, “how my morning is going [emoji]” With droplets of blood scattered around the sink, Gabby Douglas revealed, “cut my finger on glass when doing dishes.” While it sounds a minor scar, the severity of it peeps through as she questions, “possible stitches?” with a weeping emoji.

Well, this is hardly pleasant news. Especially as the new gymnastics season is about to start, and with the Winter Cup 2025 lined up for February, it’s certainly not the one we’d hoped for. After all, she was seriously eyeing a comeback after a couple of years away from competition. She’d even confessed in 2024, as reported by ‘Olympics.com,’ “My plan is to continue to train for the L.A. 2028 Olympics. It would be such an honor to represent the U.S. at a home Olympics.”

Aren’t we getting deja vu? Well, yes! Since 2022, Gabby Douglas had been showing up at WOGA Gymnastics, hoping to return to competitive sport someday. We also know the Winter Cup on February 24 could have been her debut after the years-long hiatus. But testing positive for Covid-19 ruined that comeback possibility for her. “I’m crushed, but I’ll see you guys soon!” were her words back then as reported by ‘Olympics.com.’

And needless to say, Gabby Douglas has been missing gymnastics dearly ever since. For the longest time, she’s wanted to bring her journey to an end with love and joy, instead of hating the sport. Well, hating? Yes, it is a strong emotion! But quite possible after what she endured last year and shared glimpses a day ago.

Gabby Douglas’ gymnastics throwback triggers TikTok fiasco

On January 22, Gabby Douglas wanted to give her fans a little insider’s peek into what her journey has been like throughout 2024. She shared a montage of her 2024 injuries on the mat with the caption, “happy wednesday never showed you guys bts of the 2024 journey 🖤 feel free to laugh…” The gymnastics veteran also warns the viewers with a “⚠️BLOOD WARINING⚠️” message. The next few clips include her practice snippets, one of which leaves her with a nasty incision on her palm. And oh boy, that was one bloody sight. However soon, she updated that TikTok pulled the video down for violating their “community guidelines” on dangerous acts. Well, more than any of that, what shook the readers the most was Gabby Douglas’ confession.

Along with the video snippet, the audio in the reel narrated her side on how gymnastics isn’t the plain-sailing sport it looks like. Instead, things can certainly turn dark on those mats. No wonder she says, “If you like falling, then gymnastics IS THE sport for you. You get to fall on your face, your a–, your back, your knees, and your crotch! You think I didn’t like falling? I loveeeeeeed it!” Ripping your skin is only normal in this sport, especially on the bars. And that’s not even half of the possibilities she goes on to mention. But now, it seems like she’s not just getting hurt on the mats. Instead, she’s managed to slice her finger open while doing something as simple as dishes. What do you think of this new injury? Can Douglas bounce back from it?