Eight years after Rio Olympics, gold medalist Gabby Douglas getting ending she deserves

HARTFORD, Connecticut — No matter how her comeback ends, Gabby Douglas has won.

She left the Rio Olympics with a third gold medal and hate for the sport she’d always loved. Fans had poisoned it for her, suggesting the 2012 all-around champion didn’t belong on the team and, in an early indication of the toxicity all too common in our country now, criticizing her demeanor during the national anthem.

She looked miserable at what should have been one of her proudest moments and said Friday she was.

“It ended rough for me in 2016 so I didn’t want to end on that note,” Douglas said. “Regardless of the outcome, I wanted to make sure I end on love and joy.”

Eight years after she largely disappeared from public view, she’s getting the ending she deserves. Whether she makes the team for the Paris Olympics or not, she’s regained her love for gymnastics.

“It was great to be back out there with the girls and the atmosphere,” she said following the training session for Saturday’s U.S. Classic. “It was really fun.”

Douglas never officially retired after Rio. But as the years passed and the Tokyo Olympics came and went without any sign of her, most assumed she was done. She was in her mid-20s, practically senior citizen status in a sport that has long prized youth, and comebacks are tough after a year or two away, let alone almost a decade.

As Douglas watched the U.S. championships in 2022, however, she felt something she once doubted she ever would again.

“I missed gymnastics,” she said.

Within a few months, there were rumors she was training at WOGA, the gym outside Dallas that’s owned by the parents of 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin. Douglas confirmed it last July and began posting clips of herself in the gym.

She was supposed to return to competition at the Winter Cup in February but was forced to withdraw two days before the meet after getting COVID. She competed at the American Classic last month in a performance that showed flashes of her promise and plenty of rust.

Still, it was good enough to qualify her to do three events at the national championships later this month. She can qualify to do the all-around with a better performance Saturday.

“I honestly didn't do the best that I wanted but I have to give myself a little bit of grace because it's been so long,” Douglas said of last month’s competition. “But once I got back out there, it’s like being back riding a horse. You never lose it. So I'll take it. I got back in the gym, worked hard and did the numbers.”

It shows. She looked impressive on uneven bars, her signature event, and her Yurchenko double was so big she could easily add another half-twist and turn it into an Amanar. Her floor routine shows potential, and Douglas said she’s excited that it reflects the older, more mature gymnast she is now.

“We didn’t want `bouncy Gabby.’ We wanted more mysterious and very dramatic,” she said.

Also dramatic? Douglas’ trip to get to Hartford.

Her flight from Dallas was pushed back three times because of weather before it was finally canceled late Thursday night. By that time, the only flight she could get rebooked on wouldn’t have gotten her here until noon Saturday, meaning she wouldn’t have had time to get used to the equipment. Not ideal circumstances for anyone, let alone someone competing on a podium for the first time since 2016. (The American Classic was held at a gym, so gymnasts competed on the floor.)

Douglas said her agent knew someone with a private jet who was willing to help her out. She arrived in Hartford at 6 a.m. Friday. Three and a half hours later, she was at the XL Center for training.

“I did not feel as panicked as I should have been,” she said. “I was like, `You know what? It’ll work out.’ ”

Douglas is one of three Olympic all-around champions competing this weekend, the first time that’s happened. Simone Biles, who won in Rio, and Tokyo gold medalist Suni Lee are also in the Classic field.

Douglas, who is 28, and Biles, 27, are also helping shatter the notion that the careers of elite female gymnasts have to be over before their 21st birthday.

Biles returned to competition last year following a post-Tokyo break and won her sixth world title. Her five medals at worlds gave her 37 at the world championships and Olympics, making her the most-decorated gymnast, male or female.

“I am very, very grateful to be here,” Douglas said. “It’s a really fun moment, honestly.”

That she's able to say that again means as much as any medal.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.