Twelve years after a stunning Olympic performance where she earned two gold medals, Gabby Douglas is returning to an elite gymnastics event — the next step in a comeback she announced last summer.
Douglas, 28, is set to compete at the Winter Cup competition on Feb. 24. The event in Louisville, Ky., is a qualifier for the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, ahead of this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
“SO happy to get back out on the competition floor and enjoy this sport that i fell in love with as a little girl,” Douglas said on her Instagram feed .
“See you in Louisville!” USA Gymnastics replied.
Douglas posted a video of her recent workouts, revealing an athlete who has added muscle to go with the grace and skill that made her a star at age 16, when she became the first African American gymnast to win Olympic gold in the individual all-around at the London games in 2012.
After her rise to stardom with team and all-around gold medals, Douglas told NPR that she wanted to go to one more Olympics, in Rio. She competed alongside Simone Biles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, where Douglas won her third gold, in the team event. For years afterward, she didn’t compete, taking up speaking engagements instead of gymnastics. But she says her competitive fire has been rekindled.