Gabby Douglas’ Withdrawal Costs Heavy as Gymnastics Olympic Champion Overlooked in Potential Paris Olympics Team Discussions

“I wanted to make sure I end on love and joy,” this was the sentiment Gabby Douglas shared head of the Core Hydration Classic. After staying away from gymnastics for eight years following success in Rio, she wants to bid adieu to her career on a high note and on her own terms. However, her adventure in the U.S Classic ended abruptly after she fell twice from the asymmetric bars and withdrew from the event.

This means she won’t be able to participate at the all-around at U.S. Championships, clouding her Olympic dreams. The fact that she has remained away from active competition for long time and has been able to fully compete at only event this year, prompted former NCAA Champion Samantha Peszek to keep her out from her “gymnasts to watch for” list for Paris.

As the Core Hydration Classic 2024 wrapped up, Gabby Douglas was left disappointed. She entered the Classic with one goal: to secure the all-around qualification score of 51.000 points and keep her Olympic dream alive. After falling short at the American Classic, Hartford was her last hope. Eventually, those points would help the former Olympic all-around champion get into the upcoming US Championships. Subsequently, entry into the US Olympic trials for gymnastics will be decided based on the points earned at the US Championships.

However, after securing 10.100 points on the uneven bars, her dream to feature in the all-around category of the US Championships has left her Olympic aspirations hanging by a thread.

On the Today Show, Peszek was asked about gymnasts to watch out for as we get closer to Paris. She started off by saying “Obviously, the reigning Olympic Champion, Sunisa Lee is incredible, she won balance beam. She was dealing with two different types of kidney disease. Just that is inspiring alone….So she’s looking really strong.”

She then added, “Jade Carey is another one, Jordan Chiles got third and then, Shilese Jones, who is in second place at the Classic, should be a rock for the team.” Earlier in the show, the panel turned to reporter Stephanie Gosk who shed light on Simone Biles’ success at the US Classic, where she won the all-around title. Gosk said, “Simone Biles gave an extremely convincing performance not surprisingly, showcasing why she deserves a spot on Team USA in Paris.” However, Gabby Douglas was left out of the conversation entirely, which given how her year is going, may not be a big surprise.

She was poised to participate in the Winter Cup in February but had to opt out after returning a positive COVID test. She then returned to competition in the American Classic, grabbing a mixed bag of results. She posted a score of  50.65 in the all-around but came off the bars twice and her floor routine was missing the usual flair.

Speaking afterward she said, “I honestly didn’t do the best that I wanted but I have to give myself a little bit of grace because it’s been so long.” Eventually, her 10th rank in the all-around event helped her qualify for the US Gymnastics Championships this month. She also expressed hope of a better showing in the coming events.

However, her performance in the Core Hydration Classic left a lot of to be desired.

In Hartford, Gabby left the floor after her uneven bars schedule, missing the rest of the three exercises (vault, balance beam, and floor exercise). However, as she has already qualified for the US Nationals, three events will be her ultimatum, dismissing the uneven bars schedule as she failed to reach a 51.000 score at Core Hydration Classic.

So, apparently, that was the end of her goal to feature in the Olympic all-around team. Yet, what is blocking Gabby’s chance to compete on the apparatus for the Paris Olympics?

Gabby Douglas’ Olympic hopes in peril as competitors surge ahead

In the list of comebacks, Douglas was not alone. Others who made their return dazzled with brilliant performances. Sunisa ‘Suni’ Lee made her comeback this year after surviving life-threatening kidney issues. On the other hand, Tokyo Olympics floor exercise champion Jade Carey was adamant about pushing off her last year’s failure in elite gymnastics. Surprisingly, in Core Hydration this year, both these gymnasts displayed their best performances on apparatus despite not featuring in the top three. 

Jade Carey had the top score in the vault routine, Suni Lee edged Simone Biles to remain the first in the balance beam. Furthermore, Jade Carey claimed the fourth position in the Core Hydration Classic, while in the American Classic, she earned the highest total, defeating Gabby Douglas. So, gauging the performances, Lee and Carey were the obvious preferred choices before Douglas for Peszek as well.

But isn’t there an option for Gabby Douglas to make a petition to compete in the uneven bars to qualify for the all-around event at the US National Championships?

That also seems to be a no. As per the rules, Douglas’s all-around score in the American Classic has put a blockade to apply for such a petition. So, as of now, she is in a precarious situation.

However, after eight years of hiatus for the former all-around Olympian, a comeback is still a major win. She might or might not make it to Paris, but her love for the sport is definitely back!