Gabby Douglas is a rightful phoenix rising from the ashes. The 3x Olympic gold medal winner stepped away from the gym after the conclusion of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Following her temporary exit, Douglas drifted into the entertainment side of things. Appearing regularly on several TV shows, the Olympian even managed to crown herself as the champion of ‘The Masked Dancer’. Her incredible contributions to the field of gymnastics helped her feature on the cover of Sports Illustrated and TIME. 

But being the fighter Gabby Douglas was, she did not want to retire on such a sombre note. Thus, she began her journey towards redemption. But then again, just at the cusp of her comeback, Douglas hit another roadblock. Hoping to compete at the Winter Cup this year, the 28-year-old had to leave the camp after being diagnosed with COVID-19. And now, come the American Classics, Douglas’ never-give-up attitude crafted an incredible comeback as the world stood up in admiration. 

Gabby Douglas wins hearts with her cheery disposition at the American Classics

Gabby Douglas has managed to wow her entire fandom after an impeccable performance at the American Classics. With her third Olympic spot on the line, the initial routines did not go as planned for Douglas. She could muster only 11.450 on the floor exercise before deciding to shed off her rustiness. In a complete turnaround, Douglas notched up 14.000 and 13.350 on the vault and balance beam, respectively. 

While the Olympian finished fifth on the beam, Douglas clinched a silver for her antics on the vault. Such a performance guaranteed her a place at the US Championships. Her all-around routine fetched her a total of 50.650, falling short of qualifying for the US Championship by a whisker, as she needed 51.000. Luckily, Douglas would still have an opportunity to have a crack at the same soon. 

After her stupendous return, Douglas’ next stop ahead of Paris will be the US Core Hydration Classic 2024. Competing in all four disciplines, Douglas would start as the favorite to clinch the all-around spot at the US Championships. Surely, Gabby Douglas’ tale of resurgence has made everyone take notice and fans cannot help but express their disbelief. 

Fans go berserk as Gabby Douglas makes a comeback

Soon after her heroics, fans on Reddit posted a video of Douglas’ incredible feat. It went viral immediately as users began to express their unfiltered opinions about the comeback. One user reflected on Douglas’ mindset, saying, “Her mindset is on the right spot, and it shows…. we need to trust her on the decisions she has made so far…” 

Another opined that if not for the Olympics, Douglas could still continue to enjoy her game. The tweet read, “Even if it is not the Olys she could compete internationally again.”  A third user praised the vault saying, “It was a lovely vault. Everything else was pretty iffy. I really wish she would have returned to competition a lot earlier.” They further shared a personal opinion and mentioned why Dougl;as might not make it in Paris 2024. They wrote, “I think it was always going to be an uphill battle for her to make the team but I just don’t see her in Paris.”

This user thought that Douglas might not be able to sustain the same performance in Paris and said, “It’s unlikely (not impossible) that she’ll have the stamina to be ready for the Olympics. But I hope that isn’t the end of her comeback – I’d love to see her at 2025 worlds (or just some random World Cups!).”  “I wonder if this has always been her realistic goal. she was smart to come back during an Olympic year, shes gotten a ton of press and will probably make nice money in the run up. but she probably knows 2024 is a really far reach”, commented another user reflecting on Douglas’s performance.

This user tried to analyze Gabby Douglas’ mindset coming into the event saying, “the nerves must have been insane, even for an olympic champion.”Thus, Gabby Douglas surely has the gymnastics world talking. It will now be interesting to see if she can continue her good work and dominate the Olympics as well.