16 Year Old Gabby Douglas Vies For Olympic Gold: “Don’t Count Me Out”
Gabby Douglas vies for spot on Olympic team.
If she lands a spot on the Olympic team, 16-year-old Gabby Douglas will be the first African-American since Dominique Dawes to do so since 2000. Douglas is vying for one of the five coveted spots on the women’s team.
As of right now, her stiffest competition is Jordyn Wieber, who emerged as an favorite heading into the London Games. But Gabby is making moves to take over that top spot.
“It is so great to have two strong people,” she said of the budding rivalry with Wieber in an interview. “I love the competition. It makes us better. She does a perfect routine. I’m going to do a perfect routine too.”
U.S. gymnastics officials will announce the team Sunday after the competition.
If she makes the team, she will also have a shot at becoming only the second African-American woman in history to win an individual Olympic medal in the sport. Before her, it was Dawes who won a bronze medal in the floor exercise in 1996..
While she had a minor slip-up at the the Almost three weeks ago at the Visa national championships in St. Louis–Douglas fell off the beam– she was able to come back with three stellar performances. Even after a whole point for the fall, she nailed her last three routines and lost to Wieber by two-tenths of a point.
“I want to make sure that I’m going to go out there on beam and perform and show everyone that I am very strong on beam,” Douglas said. “And just don’t count me out. Don’t count me out yet.”
No one is counting her out these days.
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