American gymnast Gabby Douglas is one step closer to the 2016 Summer Olympics. Douglas, who earned the moniker “The Flying Squirrel” for her flawless gymnastic skills, won the American Cup held at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., her first gold since bagging the Olympic all-around in London in 2012.
VIDEO: Gabby Douglas vaults to the lead at #ATTAC2016. Watch live on NBC! pic.twitter.com/RCE88WfKyO
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) March 5, 2016
Douglas recorded a score of 60.165 after earning the high score in the beam, vault, and uneven bars. Her 14.966 score on the beam secured her return to the Olympics to pursue her goal of becoming the first woman in 50 years to repeat as an Olympic gold medalist.
Gabby Douglas, first Black gymnast to win the individual all around championship at the Olympics! #blackhistorymonth pic.twitter.com/vK8Oi5dJ92
— Camille Eddy (@NikkyMill) February 13, 2016
“It’s all about doing it for the right thing,” Gabby Douglas shared. “For me, I want to do this because from the bottom of my heart, I know I can do more. It’s all about your desire and motivation. I feel like if you’re doing it for the wrong intentions then stuff isn’t going to go your way.”
Gabby Douglas Speaks Before the 2016 AT&T American Cup
Bela Karolyi, a prominent gymnastic coach and former national team coordinator, praised Douglas for her extraordinary skills and dedication to her career. “If somebody in my life has a chance to repeat, she’s the one,” said Karolyi.
Gabby Douglas won the silver medal at the world gymnastics championships in October 2015. In 2012, she defeated then-reigning world all-around champion and teammate Jordyn Wieber by over .26 points at the American Cup, even though she was not an official competitor at the time.
The reigning all-around gold medalist admits she has to improve some of her moves. “(I need) cleaner landings on my floor, on my turns, too,” she said. “The one I was most pleased with was the beam because I wanted it to be really solid. There’s still more work left to be done though. I’ll take it.”
If she wins in Brazil, she will become the first woman to repeat as Olympic gold medalist since Věra Čáslavská in 1968.