Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas has withdrawn from competition at the U.S. gymnastics championships this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, citing an ankle injury she suffered during training this week.
The injury ends Douglas' improbable bid to make the 2024 Paris Olympic team after an eight-year hiatus. At 28, Douglas would have been the oldest American woman to compete in gymnastics at the Olympics since 1952. Despite the injury, Douglas said she is proud of what she accomplished over her 18-month comeback.
"I love this sport and I love pushing my limits," Douglas told ESPN. "I hope I can inspire both my peers and the next generation of gymnasts that age is just a number, and you can accomplish anything you work hard for."
A two-time Olympian, Douglas became the first Black gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title at the 2012 London Games and helped the U.S. earn back-to-back team golds in London and in Rio in 2016. She announced her comeback in February and returned to competition in April at the American Classic in Katy, Texas, where she qualified to compete at U.S. championships.
At the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, earlier this month, Douglas struggled on bars before withdrawing from the remainder of the competition. The U.S. championships would have been her final chance to earn an invite to the Olympic trials in Minneapolis in June. Instead, she plans to recover from her injury and begin training for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when she will be 32.
"I proved to myself and to the sport that my skills remain at an elite level," said Douglas, who also plans to reunite with her longtime representative, Lowell Taub of Range Sports. "My plan is to continue to train for the L.A. 2028 Olympics. It would be such an honor to represent the U.S. at a home Olympics."