10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas

While most 16-year-old girls are busy making Chris Brown shrines, Olympic sensation Gabrielle Douglas (pictured) just lead the 2012 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team to a gold medal this week.  But there’s much more to her than just shining at the Games. Here, NewsOne gives you 10 facts about “Gabby” that you probably didn’t know.

RELATED: Gabrielle Douglas Helps Women’s U.S. Gymnastics Team Win Gold!^[1]

1) Douglas’ high-energy performances on uneven bars earned her the nickname “Flying Squirrel” from Martha Karolyi, the National Team Coordinator for USA Gymnastics. [Source: Wikipedia^[2]]

2) Four years ago, Douglas asked her mother for permission to move 3,000 miles away from their home in Virginia Beach, Va., to live and train with a top-level gymnastics coach in Des Moines, Iowa. While her mom was initially hesitant, she eventually relented. Since Douglas’ performance earned her Olympic team a gold medal, clearly her family’s sacrifice was worth it.  [Source: Shine From Yahoo^[3]]

Watch Gabrielle talk about becoming the next Black Olympian superstar:

3) This isn’t the first time Gabrielle has tasted gold. She won another gold medal with the U.S. Gymnastics Team at last year’s World Championships event. [Source: USA Gymnastics^[4]]4) While she took an interest in gymnastics at a very young age, Gabrielle officially became a gymnast in 2002. [Source: USA Gymnastics^[5]]Watch Gabrielle at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo:5) Gabrielle performed her first flawless cartwheel at age 3. [Source: Time Magazine^[6]]6) In 2004, Douglas became Virginia’s State Champion in Gymnastics. [Source: GabrielleDouglas.com^[7]]7) This past March, Douglas competed in the AT&T American Cup at Madison Square Garden, placing fourth in the all-around competition. [Source: GabrielleDouglas.com^[8]]Watch Gabrielle Douglas’s mom talk about raising an Olympian superstar: 8) Debuting as a senior gymnast last year, Gabrielle qualified for her first Senior National Championships in St. Paul, Minn. She would go on to become the 2011 Bronze Medalist on uneven bars. [Source: Gabrielle Douglas.com^[9]]9) President Barack Obama personally congratulated Gabrielle and the entire U.S. Women’s Team this past Wednesday, telling Gabby via phone to “keep at it.” [Source: PilotOnline.com^[10]]10) Gabrielle’s favorite book to read is “Twilight.” [Source: TeamUSA.org^[11]]Good luck with the rest of your Olympic battles, Gabrielle! RELATED: Really? Olympic Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas Gets Twitter Hate Over Hair
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References

1. ^{^}Gabrielle Douglas Helps Women’s U.S. Gymnastics Team Win Gold! (newsone.com)
2. ^{^}Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
3. ^{^}Shine From Yahoo (shine.yahoo.com)
4. ^{^}USA Gymnastics (usagym.org)
5. ^{^}USA Gymnastics (usagym.org)
6. ^{^}Source: Time Magazine (olympics.time.com)
7. ^{^}GabrielleDouglas.com (olympics.time.com)
8. ^{^}GabrielleDouglas.com (gabrielledouglas.com)
9. ^{^}Gabrielle Douglas.com (gabrielledouglas.com)
10. ^{^}PilotOnline.com (hamptonroads.com)
11. ^{^}TeamUSA.org (www.teamusa.org)
12. ^{^}Permalink to: Really? Olympic Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas Gets Twitter Hate Over Hair (newsone.com)