Gabby Douglas made Olympic history (again) in Rio. Four years after becoming the first black woman to capture the individual all-around gold medal, Douglas and teammate Aly Raisman became the first two American gymnasts to win gold in back-to-back Olympic Games.
Even without her trip to Rio, the 20-year-old would have gone down as one of the best ever. With a host of endorsement deals, a best-selling book, a Lifetime biopic and even her own Barbie doll, Douglas' legacy was set. But, despite the immense weight of expectations, she fought for another chance to compete at the highest level. Her reward? A spot on one of the greatest American gymnastics squads of all time.
Douglas admits the experience had its highs and lows, thanks to the bullying she faced on social media. She also wouldn't trade her experience as part of the "Final Five" for anything. In between promotional appearances, she talked to us about her crazy schedule, her mentality post-Rio and her thoughts on Tokyo in 2020.
Rio was amazing, but it's nice to be finished. It was a really incredible experience to go back to the Olympics for a second time, even with some of the struggles I had while I was there. Of course, it was nice to get some merchandise (a gold medal!). As far as the competition goes, I wanted to be a little bit better, but that's something I have to accept.
Mentally and physically, there's definitely some relief that it's over. All the hype, the nerves, the pressure -- it's a lot. Afterward, everyone is like, "Woo! Time to relax." I seriously think I had pizza, fries and ice cream for a solid week when I got home. I even put fries on my pizza! You've got to splurge sometimes, especially as an athlete.
I've done a lot of thinking since coming back from Rio. While I was there, I went through a really hard time in competition and on social media. For a little while, I lost sight of everything positive. Here I was, an all-around champion on another winning team, and I wasn't focusing on that because people were being so gross.
Since then I've realized that I have to pardon their comments because they just have no idea. They don't understand. Sometimes you have to step back and say, "What did you do to defy odds today?" Not many people get to experience the Olympics, go back a second time, and leave with medals around their neck.
Social media isn't all bad. I was so grateful for the hashtag Leslie Jones started: #LOVE4GABBYUSA. She experienced some of the same things that I did with online bullying. People can be so mean! After Leslie tweeted that hashtag, people like Kerry Washington, NeNe Leakes and Sanya Richards-Ross stood behind me and gave me a whole lot of love.
And they weren't the only ones. When I got back, people would come up to me and tell me not to worry about the haters. They would say things like, "You're amazing. You're flawless." That really helped me get out of my funk.
I spent time in the emergency room soon after the Olympics. I had a cyst in my mouth that was causing terrible pain. Not only did I have to get it removed, but I missed joining the rest of the team at the MTV Video Music Awards. Afterward, everyone was like, "Beyoncé! Beyoncé!" OK, I'm not trying to brag here, but I did get to meet her during the NBA All-Star Weekend in 2013. She pulled me into her circle, Jay Z was there, and she even told me how inspirational I was. I guess that made it a little easier to miss the VMAs.
Not long after the cyst put me in the hospital, I had to get my wisdom teeth removed, too. No fun! I'm just incredibly glad that my mouth issues weren't a problem in Rio. That would have been miserable.
There hasn't been much time to unwind. In fact, I've only spent about a week at home since I got back from Rio. Our appearance and sponsor schedules are fun, but also pretty grueling. During the Kellogg's Tour, we traveled to so many cities that I would wake up and say, "Where am I? What's going on? What's my name?"
Early-morning and red-eye flights are far from my favorite things, but the fans kept us going. We got to give them more than a wave and a smile as part of the tour, which I loved. We'd do meet-and-greets and really get to talk to people.
I never would have thought I'd be in the position I'm in today. I don't think it has really sunk in yet. As a gymnast, my mind is trained to move on to the next competition or the next event. One day I'm going to look back at the memorabilia and medals I have in my living room at home and say, "Wow, that was pretty amazing."
What do you mean, "retirement?" When people use that word, I pretty much laugh and say, "Come on! Tokyo 2020!" Dominique Dawes, my role model, went to three Olympics. She's my inspiration. Right now, we just finished the tour and everyone is looking forward to some time off. My vacation to Tahiti is the next thing on my list. One step at a time!