Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas announced her return to competitive gymnastics on Thursday in an Instagram post.
“Hey guys long time no post,” the 27-year-old wrote. “As you all know I stepped back from the socials and in that time I did a lot of journaling, reflecting, soul searching and found myself back where it all began…
“I wanted to find the joy again for the sport that I absolutely love doing. I know I have a huge task ahead of me and I am beyond grateful and excited to get back out on the floor and even more grateful for all of your support and love. it truly means so much. There’s so much to be said but for now…. let’s do this.”
Douglas added the hashtag “2024” to the end of her post – possibly signaling her intent to compete in the Paris Olympics next year.
Douglas won two golds at London 2012, including in the all-around event, and added a team gold to that at the Rio Games in 2016.
Her return means that each of the three previous winners of Olympic gold in the all-around event will now be aiming for Paris, after Simone Biles (Rio 2016) and Sunisa Lee (Tokyo 2020, which took place in 2021) were confirmed as registrants for the US Classic at the start of August by USA Gymnastics.
Douglas is not on the participants list for the US Classic.
Earlier this month, Biles tweeted that she is “excited to get back out on the competition floor,” after USA Gymnastics had announced on June 28 that Biles was on the entry list for the Classic.
Lee, 20, wrote in a Wednesday Instagram story that she is “still in and out of the gym a lot” as a result of a kidney illness which cut short the final year of her college career at Auburn.
The US Classic takes place on August 5.