Gabby Douglas competes for first time since Rio Olympics at American Classic

Gabby Douglas is officially back.

Whether the gymnast’s return to the sport will continue until the Olympic Games in Paris remains to be seen.

Douglas, who became the first black woman to win the Olympic all-around title when she triumphed in London in 2012, competed in the American Classic for the first time in eight years on Saturday.

The 28-year-old looked rusty in some areas and promising in others as he posted a score of 50.65 in the all-around. Douglas qualified in multiple events for the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, next month. She will have another chance to qualify for the all-around competition at the national championships when she takes the floor at the US Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, on May 18.

Douglas last competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where she helped the Americans claim a second consecutive gold in the team competition. She took an extended break from the sport, but never officially retired. The itch to come back returned while watching the 2022 U.S. Championships, and she has spent the better part of the past two years training in the Dallas area with an eye on trying to make the five-woman U.S. team make it the big favorite to win gold. in Paris this summer.

However, her comeback is shrouded in mystery. She was due to compete in the Winter Cup in February but withdrew from the competition just days before after testing positive for Covid-19. She has limited press coverage and unlike 2020 Olympic gold medalist Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey – who both competed in the American Classic – she opted not to take part in podium training on Friday.

Douglas walked onto the floor about an hour before the match and showed flashes of what made her a star in London. Her double-twisting Yurchenko on vault had ample amplitude and on beam – her best event – ​​she had the pieces of a routine that would certainly be competitive at the elite level.

The challenge will be to find a way to put all the parts together consistently.

Douglas came off the bars twice, and her floor routine lacked the sharpness and stamina to match what’s required for anyone hoping to make a serious bid for the Olympic team.

There is time for Douglas, but not much. The US Classic is in three weeks. The US Championships are in five and the Olympic Trials await in Minneapolis at the end of June.

Carey, who won gold in the floor exercise in Tokyo, captured the all-around with a score of 55.000, while also recording top scores on vault and floor. Lee, who has been dealing with kidney-related health issues for the past two years, put together a dazzling bar routine to win easily with a score of 15,200.