By: Claire Riley

Background  Born on December 31,1995  Gabby was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia  Her parents names are Timothy Douglas and Natalie Hawkins, but her mom was a single parent when the kids were young  She has 3 siblings

Obstacles  In early childhood her family was homeless. This had helped motivate her with her gymnastics.  She had to beg her mom for over 2 years to join a gymnastics center.  Gabby had moved 3,000 miles away from her family to begin her Olympic gymnastics training.She had a host family which was the Patrons.

Achievements  2010  Us Junior National Championship in Beam Silver medalist.  Pan American Championship in Uneven Bars Gold medalist.  Three time National team member

 2011  World Championship team gold medalist.  2012  Olympic All around gold medalist  Olympic team gold medalist  US Olympic trials all around trials championship Continued

 Pacific Rim Uneven bars gold medalist  Secret US classic uneven bars gold medalist  US National Championships  Floor exercise bronze medalist  US Olympic Trials Uneven bars gold medalist

Media  When Gabby won Gold in the Individual All Around at the 2012 Olympics, she was the first African American as well as the first woman of color of any nationality to win the event.  Later that summer she spoke with Oprah about racist bullying in the gym and how it nearly made her quit the sport.  The media loved her because she had lots of personality and determination. She gained lots of fans during the 2012 Olympics and received more attention than many of her peers.

Significance  Because she was one of the first successful African American female gymnasts; she became an important figure for many young girls of color who also had dreams of being gymnasts.  She told her story in two books: “Grace, Gold and Glory” and “Raising the Bar”. Both books talk about her sport, the obstacles she faced, and her relationship with God.

Currently…  She is not yet retired, but still competes.  Gabby continues to train in hopes of participating in the 2016 Summer Olympics.  She is training in Columbus, Ohio and plans to enter the 2015 World Championships