Gymnastics fans are agog with excitement eight years after the 2016 Rio Games, with three-time Olympic medalist Gabby Douglas, considering a comeback to the Olympics. Douglas is the first African American to win the Olympic individual all-around champion title in 2012 London. In 2013, Simone Biles entered the elite scene, becoming the first African-American woman to win the US gymnastics championship.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, as “Final Five” the duo shared the gold medal as a team. While Biles won four medals overall, three of which were gold. There is a certain thrill as they return to the mats this year, overshadowing the tensions in their relationship outside the mats. Certain social media backlash was the precursor to this concatenation of events that involved a woman’s sartorial choices.
A piece of fabric divided Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles
Dubbed “The GOAT,” Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history, standing at a height of just four feet eight inches. Although there were some disagreements along the way to her extraordinary achievement. It happened in response to Aly Raisman’s disclosure of se**al assault by USA Gymnastics doctor Lawrence G. Nassar when the debate surfaced in a Twitter conversation. Raisman’s words, which supported women’s freedom to express themselves sans fear of criticism, ran counter to Douglas’s deleted response, which emphasized women’s need to dress modestly.
Biles publicly called out Douglas, “shocks me that I’m seeing this but it doesn’t surprise me…,” expressing displeasure at the vapid statement and requesting support to protect her friend and colleague Raisman. The incident brought to light a sharp difference in their viewpoints, although Douglas later retweeted, “i didn’t correctly word my reply & i am deeply sorry.”
During the harassment case, Biles never wavered in her backing of 2012 and 2016 gymnastics Olympics team captain Aly Raisman. Later, Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles, and Maggie Nichols focused their criticism on the FBI’s improper conduct in the investigation into the charges against Nassar and the intimidation that came from the sport’s governing organizations. Now, with a plethora of bitter-sweet history behind them, both the gymnasts are once again crossing paths after their return.
The veteran gymnasts’ comeback
Following a 2 years and 2 days professional hiatus after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles reaffirmed her supremacy last year. She won the 8th all-around national competition in August and the sixth individual Worlds’ medal in October 2023, introducing the Yurchenko double pike vault, a first for women’s competition, and her fifth named move. With 30 world medals—and seven Olympic medals under her belt, Biles is now headed to the Paris Olympics with her confirmed ticket.
Douglas, on the other hand, has been improving on her own and training at WOGA Gymnastics in North Texas under Valeri Liukin’s tutelage, recently stating she “never retired” from gymnastics. In addition, she is Team USA’s winning talisman as she specializes in the uneven bars, the apparatus known for the team’s weakness. With the prospects of another skilled Olympian joining the mix of Team US, the question over their triumphant return to the world stage lingers.
