Last Tuesday brought us one of the most anticipated events of the summer games—the women’s gymnastics team competition. “The Final Five,” made history in Rio, winning the gold in the team all-around final for the second Olympics in a row by a margin of 8.209 points over second-place Russia, beating their 2012 record of 5.066.
Seasoned veteran and 2012 women’s all-around champion, Gabby Douglas, (the now two-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist, who will also compete in the individual uneven bars final this week) took time to pay homage to the Olympians who preceded her team, and set bar — the “Magnificent Seven”.
The Magnificent Seven – Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden, and Jaycie Phelps – was the first ever United States Olympic women’s gymnastics team to win the gold medal in the women’s team competition at the Olympics in Atlanta. Kerri Strug, best known for her stick-it landing on the vault while injured. . . was undoubtedly one of the most celebrated moments in American Olympic history. Up until this point, the US had never won the event in either the Olympics or the World Championships. Yet, in Atlanta, the “Magnificent Seven,” upstaged both the Russians and the Romanians, becoming the reigning World Champions.
The “Final Five” team’s gold medal victory was no surprise – It was predicted by pretty much everyone. But, it’s no question that Douglas’s fierce performance on the uneven bars contributed to that victory. Gabby Douglas will forever be the true picture of poise and grace. . .
About Gabby Douglas:
- Douglas was the first African American to win the individual all-around event
- Douglas was the first American all-around champion to win multiple medals in a single Olympic game
- Douglas released a memoir “Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith” in 2012
- “The Gabby Douglas Story” a biopic film was released in 2014
- Douglas has her own leotard line
- Barbie launched the Gabby Douglas doll in 2016
link2usmag.com 