Gabby Douglas Says She’s Tired of 'Constantly Being Bullied' by Gymnastics Fans
"I just want to live my life and be at peace," Douglas wrote in the comments of a TikTok video about the Olympic gold medalist
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Gabby Douglas on May 18, 2024Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas made history as the first Black woman to win the gold medal in the all-around competition at the Olympics. But she recently revealed that despite her success, she feels “bullied” by fans.
A TikTok user recently posted a video saying that she didn’t like how the public appeared to cast Douglas, now 28, aside when the emergence and popularity of current Olympic record-breaker Simone Biles became the face of women’s gymnastics.
“I still never forget how ya’ll fumble Gabby Douglas,” the woman, who goes by the username legacy.jai, said in the 32-second clip. “Ya’ll dropped her like a bad habit when Simone Biles came on the scene.”
She added, “When the last time you thought about Gabby Douglas?”
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Gabby Douglas/Instagram
Gabby DouglasDouglas then responded to the video on Tuesday, Aug. 6. “That’s ok! Constantly being bullied is very tiring and wearing on me. I just want to live my life and be at peace,” she wrote in the comments.
The gymnast added, “Thanks for the love! Definitely needed in this world.”
Following her Olympic winning streak during the Paris Summer Games, Biles recently told PEOPLE how Douglas was an inspiration to her when discussing the recent Olympic podium that was entirely made up of Black gymnasts for the first time.
"It was representation," Biles said. "For all the little girls and boys that look like us, for them to believe in themselves that they can do it too. I was one day in their shoes when I saw Gabby [Douglas] win and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, if she can do it, I can do it.' "
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From Left: Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Suni Lee on May 17, 2024In July, Douglas opened up to PEOPLE about the injury that forced out of the Paris Olympics and her hopes to compete in Los Angeles during the 2028 Olympics.
“It was very bittersweet,” she said of her ankle injury, which she suffered in training during the week leading up to the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. “And it was actually doing my signature skill, which is the [standing] full on the beam.”
“I know it's four years away, but I'm looking forward to it,” Douglas added about her potential Olympics comeback. “Still representing the USA, still continuing to do gymnastics, so I'm excited.”
Douglas will be 32 when the next Summer Games roll around — and it's something that’s not lost on her. But competing again is also something that she believes is not out of reach.
“I feel like at this point, age is really just a number because my body can still do amazing things even at 28,” she told PEOPLE. “And I just think that when you have the proper diet, structure, schedule, and everything that aligns, then you can do anything that you put your mind to.”
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