The first African-American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics.
Sixteen-year-old American Gabrielle Douglas made history at the 2012 London Olympics by becoming the first African-American athlete to win a gold medal in individual gymnastics, a sport previously considered the strength of athletes from Eastern Europe or, more recently, China.
Sixteen-year-old American Gabrielle Douglas made history at the 2012 London Olympics by becoming the first African-American athlete to win a gold medal in individual gymnastics, a sport previously considered the strength of athletes from Eastern Europe or, more recently, China.
This was only Douglas's second major international tournament, yet she surpassed renowned names like Viktoria Komova of Russia to claim victory at the North Greenwich Arena in London.
Martha Karolyi, a member of the US coaching staff who previously trained Romanian athlete Nadia Comaneci, commented: "I think she has rewritten history. This is absolutely amazing."
“I’m so happy for Gabby. She’s such a sweet, hardworking girl who always tries her best. Gabby’s determination is evident in her willingness to leave home for better training. Everything about her is truly admirable.”
Her Olympic success marked a significant turning point in Douglas's life, from a girl who left home in Virginia at age 14 and moved to Iowa, where she was coached by Liang Chow.
At the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo, this strong young girl was unable to showcase her full potential, but at the pre-Olympic competitions in the US last month, she defeated world champion Jordyn Wieber in the individual event.
Karolyi commented, "She's very capable and will always be acrobatic on the bars, but sometimes Gabby loses control. We have to work very hard together."
“But winning this medal was unexpected. She seemed to be energized and made tremendous progress in a short period of time. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed anything like it. Never in my career have I seen an average athlete suddenly become so outstanding so quickly.”
Douglas became the first female gymnast since Shannon Miller at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to win gold medals in multiple categories, having previously won the team event with her teammates on July 31st.
Douglas's glorious journey at this year's Olympics may not be over yet, as she still has two finals to compete in in the horizontal bar and parallel bars events in the coming days.
Twelve years after Dominique Dawes became the first African American athlete to win an Olympic medal, Douglas was the next to win a medal in a sport traditionally dominated by white athletes. More importantly, she won the gold medal.
After her victory, she shared that she hadn't even thought about making history: "I had completely forgotten about it. It's just amazing. Becoming the first African American to win at the Olympics is an unbelievable feeling."
Douglas expressed her gratitude to coach Chow and his wife, Liwen Zhuang, for their guidance. Both husband and wife are former players of the Chinese national team.
“Chow and Li helped shape me into the person I am today. For the past five months, things at the gym have been incredibly tough. We’ve had to push each other every day.”
Gabrielle Douglas cried with emotion after winning the medal.
“Even during the most difficult times, Chow kept pushing me, even when I acted like ‘whatever happens,’ he still tried. In the end, everything paid off.”
Douglas is the second Olympic champion to come from Chow's "Gymnastics and Dance Institute" training center, after Shawn Johnson, the golden girl who won one gold and three silver medals in Beijing four years ago.
Mr. Chow smiled and shared his thoughts about the new champion: “She is a wonderful athlete, with strength and determination. I am very lucky to have her.”
“Her mother approached me a few years ago and said, ‘My daughter wants to be an Olympic champion.’ I replied, ‘Okay, I’ll do my best.’”
"Tonight is an amazing night for me, like a dream come true, to have a student who is an Olympic champion."
According to Thethaovanhoa.vn - DT
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