Since July 2023, the world of gymnastics has been eagerly anticipating the return of Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas, aka Gabby Douglas, the first African-American to win the Olympic all-around title. The long wait finally came to an end on Saturday, April 27, 2024, when Gabby took center stage at the 2024 American Classic. This marked the three-time Olympic gymnastics gold medalist’s first competition since the 2016 Rio Olympics.

However, despite all the hype, her debut in the Olympic year 2024 had a rough and rocky start. After the competition, Gabby Douglas took to social media to express her disappointment in her performance. But, offering kind words of reassurance, icons in the gymnastics world applauded Douglas for her comeback.

Disappointed Gabby Douglas cheered up by gymnastics icons

Amidst the grandeur of her previous Olympic showdowns, Gabby Douglas returned to a small gym in Texas for the American Classic. Unfortunately, her comeback wasn’t flawless. Mistakes and falls marred her routines, especially on the floor and balance beam, ultimately resulting in her failure to qualify for the U.S. Championships. After the competition, Gabby took to her Instagram account to share her disappointment. Posting a video of her vault routine, she expressed her gratitude for being back after eight long years, saying, “It wasn’t my best showing this weekend but was so happy and grateful to be back out there on the floor doing what I love again.” Despite facing challenges and making mistakes, Gabby expressed her motivation to work even harder and improve. Her fans flooded the comment section of the post with love and support.

Among the numerous supportive messages, two stood out. Shilese Jones, a cherished member of the gold medal-winning USA team at the 2023 World Championships, left a heartfelt comment, saying, “I’m beyond proud of you❤️ always a champion in my eyes😍.” Another comment came from Nastia Liukin, the former Russian-born American gymnast and five-time Olympic medalist, who applauded Gabby Douglas, writing, “From the outside looking in (and knowing exactly how hard what you’re doing is) I’m beyond proud of you G.” As we reflect on these kind words, let’s review Gabby’s performance and what lies ahead for her.

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Her 2024 American Classic performance and what lies ahead for the veteran

In her first routine at the 2024 American Classic, Gabby Douglas experienced a setback, falling during her first tumbling pass and going out of bounds during her last pass. These errors resulted in a final score of 11.450 on FX. She encountered further difficulty on the uneven bars, missing a release move called a Jaeger and going the wrong way during a cast handstand, earning her a score of 11.850. Although Gabby performed better on the balance beam, it still wasn’t perfect, earning her a score of 13.350 and placing her in fifth position. However, redemption came with the vault. Gabby executed a Yurchenko double twist flawlessly, earning a score of 14.000, the second-highest score on the vault.

Gabby’s overall score for all events combined was 50.650. Unfortunately, this score was not enough to qualify her for the U.S. Championships, as she needed a score of 51.000. Nevertheless, Gabby performed well enough in three of the events to earn another chance to qualify for all four events at the next competition, the U.S. Classic, scheduled for May 17–18 in Hartford, Connecticut. As we eagerly anticipate her comeback alongside stars like Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles, fans are excited to see how Gabby will tackle another Olympic cycle.