London 2012 gymnastics champion Douglas returns after eight-year hiatus

Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion, will return to competition for the first time in nearly eight years at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb 24.

The 28-year-old Douglas, who made the announcement on NBC News NOW on Tuesday, was a teenager when she competed in London and became the first black woman to win the Olympic title. She hasn't competed since helping the US win team gold at the 2016 Olympics.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist went on an extended sabbatical after the Rio de Janeiro Games, but returned to training in 2022 and announced last summer that she would try to make the 2024 Olympic team.

"I never announced a retirement," Douglas told NBC. "I didn't want to finish like I did in 2016. I wanted to take a step back and work on myself and my mental state."

Douglas joins a crowded and decorated field hoping to make the five-woman Olympic squad, including 2016 Olympic champion Simone Biles and 2020 Olympic champion Sunisa Lee. Biles returned to competition last summer after a two-year break and won her record sixth world all-around title last fall.

Douglas said she is "definitely" aiming for Paris, but added that she is taking things one day at a time.

The Winter Cup is the first significant US meet of the year, with the Games looming in late July. Douglas has shared part of her journey on her social media channels, including an extended glimpse of her work on the uneven bars, historically her strongest event.

"I honestly love going to the gym and getting my skills back," Douglas said. "It is very exciting."

Agencies via Xinhua