Retired American gymnast Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas wowed fans in the mid-2000s with her dynamic floor routines and her gold-medal winning performances at the Olympic Games, but it appeared as though her success was short-lived. After winning the 2012 all-around championship and the 2016 Summer Olympics, the athlete stopped training. Fans weren’t quite sure why Douglas decided to end her medal-winning streak. After all, she was a three-time Olympic gold medalist. 

Douglas struck gold twice in London at the 2012 Olympic Games and again four years later at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where she and fellow “Final Five” all-star gymnasts, Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, powered Team USA to gold. So, where is Douglas now? Let’s take a look back at her career and what the star is up to now.

Early Life 

Born on Dec. 31, 1995, the star athlete was raised in Newport News, Virginia by her parents Timothy Douglas and Natalie Hawkins. According to the 25-year-old’s personal website, Douglas was first introduced to the world of gymnastics by her older sister, Arielle, as a toddler. She instantly fell in love with the sport. With her sister’s guidance, Douglas began perfecting her gymnastic techniques. She became so good that eventually, Arielle convinced their mother to allow Gabby to train at a local gym. The hard work paid off because, in 2004, the state of Virginia crowned the young star at the Gymnastics State Champion.

Gabby left Virginia in 2014 to train under the guidance of elite coach Liang Chow in West Des Moines and the rest is history.

Record-Breaking Moves

Douglas became the breakout star at the 2012 London Olympics with her history-making win. The Virginia native became the first Black American gymnast to win an individual all-around title.  “She was also the first American to win both an individual all-around gold and team gold in the same year,” USA Today noted.

Two years later, Douglas joined 700 young gymnastics to set a Guinness World Record in Pittsburgh for the most simultaneous cartwheels during the 2014 P&G Gymnastics Championships.

Life After The Olympics

While Douglas never officially announced her retirement, her appearance in the 2016 Rio Games was the last time she competed. After taking a step from gymnastics, Douglas surprised fans as a contestant on The Masked Dancer, performing under the alias. “Cotton Candy.”  She won the Fox series back in February after showing off some serious dance moves during her routine to “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman.”