Despite Multiple Mishaps, Gabby Douglas’ Return Still Has Hopes As National Selections Approach Down the Line

In her highly anticipated comeback to competitive gymnastics, Gabby Douglas displayed an impressive return on April 27th, day 2 of the American Classic. The gymnast signaled her potential to compete at the highest level. However, despite showcasing difficult skills, she made significant mistakes that indicated the need for improvement in the coming months before she entered Paris.

At the American Classic in Katy, Tex., Douglas amazed with a powerful double-twisting vault after an eight-year hiatus from competition. Although her bars and beam performances rivaled those of top Americans in difficulty, she struggled with falls on the floor, resulting in a modest all-around score of 50.650 and an 11th-place finish, which raised concern for her spot in the Olympics 2024. But here’s relief.

Following this news, a recent update from Gymnastics Now on April 28th brings hope as Douglas qualifies for nationals. A new post from Gymnastics now reads, “Gabby Douglas is going to nationals – on at least two events! She qualifies after putting up a 14.000 on the vault and 13.350 on the beam. She finishes her first elite competition back since the 2016 Rio Olympics with a 50.650. If she gets a 51 in the all-around at the Core Hydration Classic, she’ll qualify on all four. Otherwise, she should be able to petition.”

The American Classic, though not a gathering of all top gymnasts, offers a sneak peek into athletes’ readiness. Among them was Douglas, the trailblazer who made history as the first Black woman to claim the Olympic all-around title in London 2012, showcased her prowess again.

What’s next for Gabby Douglas?

Step 1 of Gabby Douglas’ journey to the Prais Olympics was quite delightful indeed. Making a comeback at the competitive gymnastics, Douglas landed one of the best vaults of the afternoon. Placing 10th in all-arounds, she managed to proceed to the national championship in two categories, vaults, and uneven bars. However, she will have one more chance to qualify for all-around nationals, at the US Classic on May 17th-18th.

The anticipation is high as gymnasts prepare to showcase their skills at Hartford. This will be a bigger test for Gabby Douglas and other stars like Simone Biles, who are set to compete in the national championships and the Olympic trials. Despite its smaller scale, Saturday’s scores gave us an idea of where gymnasts stand and have areas for improvement.

Talking about the best scores yesterday, Carey, who won gold on floor exercise in Tokyo, captured the all-around with a score 55.000 while recording the top scores on vault and floor. Lee, who has dealt with kidney-related health issues for the last two years, put together a dazzling bars routine to win easily with a score of 15.200.

While the world awaits Douglas’ comeback, the clock is ticking. The U.S. Classic is in three weeks. The U.S. Championships are in five, and the Olympic Trials will be held in Minneapolis in late June.