The signs that Douglas was different were present early. At three, she scaled doorframes around her house. Within a week of being shown a cartwheel by her elder sister, she was performing them one-armed, prompting her sibling to suggest she enrol in gymnastics.
By the time she was nine, 'Gabby' knew she wanted to compete in the Olympics. Five years later, she left her family in Virginia to train with renowned coach Liang Chow in Iowa. Her dedication paid off quickly with the 16-year-old helping the USA to team gold in her first senior season at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo.
Her path was not without setbacks. The Virginia Beach native had seven falls at the 2011 USA National Championships before being selected for her first Worlds. She was an alternate for the American Cup in New York City, held four months before the London Games, but upstaged reigning all-around world champion Jordyn Wieber to push her claims for selection.
At June's U.S. Nationals, she took uneven bars gold, all-around silver and floor bronze. And then at July's Olympic Trials, Douglas won the all-around to secure her place in the team.
Fuelled by her mother's instructions to "inspire a generation", Douglas did just that on her Olympic debut in London. After leading the 'Fierce Five' to team gold, she edged out Russia's Viktoria Komova by just over a quarter of a point to take the all-around title.
After taking a break from gymnastics, Douglas returned to Iowa in April 2014 to train. But she and Chow split after a few months with the Olympic champion linking up with Kittia Carpenter in Ohio.
Having rejoined U.S. national training camps in late 2014, Douglas returned to international competition in 2015. Biles was starting to emerge as a potential worldbeater and both women won team gold at the World Championships in Glasgow. In the all-around, Biles took gold with Douglas more than a point back in second.
Douglas was named to the Rio 2016 Olympic team but just missed out on the all-around final. With the competition limited to two athletes per nation, her third place in qualification was not enough as Biles and London team-mate Aly Raisman finished ahead of her. She did play her part as USA - nicknamed the 'Final Five' - retained their team title with Biles going on to dominate the Games.
After retiring from gymnastics following the Rio Games, Douglas announced her plans to return for Paris 2024. Now 28, she returned to action after almost eight years away at the American Classic in Katy, Texas in April 2024. Despite obvious rustiness, she finished 10th in the all-around but did enough to qualify for the U.S. Championships on vault and beam.
