Gabby Douglas performs on the balance beam during the women's senior division at the U.S. gymnastics championships on Friday, June 8, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The 2012 London Olympics put gymnast Gabrielle Douglas in the world spotlight. The 16-year-old Virginia Beach native became the first African-American to win an Olympic all-around title in gymnastics during the games.
“I wanted to seize the moment,” Douglas told the Associated Press.
And she did. The now-gold medalist, who worked through a minor muscle strain a few weeks prior to competition, soared on the uneven bars and defied gravity on the balance beam living up to her nickname: The Flying Squirrel.
“She demonstrated she is an Olympic champion,” her coach Liang Chow said.
While the Olympics continue, the world has a new hero, unitard and all.
— Associated Press
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