Gabrielle Douglas – #BlackGirlMagic representative – had a noteworthy start to the year on Saturday (Mar. 5). Snatching the win at the 2016 American Cup, the 20-year-old history-maker prefaced her goal to make history yet again this year at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games this summer.
Douglas faced a few setbacks leading up to her next attempt at the gold medal, including injuries that placed gymnastics on hold, and severed ties with her former coach Liang Chow. But neither of those stopped her from her winning total of 60.165 at the American Cup, edging out Maggie Nichols and Canada’s Elsabeth Black in every category except the floor exercise. Douglas is now looking to become the the first woman to win a gold medal in back-to-game Olympics since 1968.
“From the bottom of my heart, I really believe that I can achieve more,” Douglas said. “And it’s just not for the wrong intentions. I’m like, ‘Guys, I’m back. I’m serious.’ I feel like gradually and the more and more I keep proving that, I really hope that people believe it.”
Though she has already staked her claim on the history books by becoming the first black woman to win the individual all-around gold, Douglas has an obstacle in her way this time around: 18-year-old shoe-in Simone Biles, who has been deemed “unbeatable.” But it looks like Douglas ain’t got no worries just yet.
Watch a clip from Gabrielle Douglas’ American Cup win below: