Olympic Trials in June. Gabby told the Des Moines Register :. Gabby went on to win two gold medals in the London Olympics, one in team all-around, and one in individual all-around. To find out how Gabby performed today in her quest for gold in the uneven bars, click here.
It goes without saying that Gabby's mother, Natalie Hawkins, played a key role in her daughter's success, too. I've posted a video up top on the relationship between Hawkins and Gabby.
While living with her coach in Iowa, she would wake up and rush to her computer and try to contact him on Skype. I prayed every night. Winner: U. Whiz Kid: Gabrielle Douglas of the U. Earlier this year, she twisted her ankle at the Pacific Rim Championships in March. Her father's absence and her injury caused her to contemplate quitting. She really, really sounded very serious about it,' said Gabby's sister, Arielle Hawkins. She forged ahead anyway, competing with a heavy weight on her heart.
And I almost fell like bawling. I was like, "Oh, my gosh, Dad! Serving in the rd Red Horse civil engineering squadron in Afghanistan, Mr Douglas would watch YouTube videos of his daughter's routines on the dial-up internet available in Kandahar. Watching his daughter perform so perfectly for the first time in real life was almost too much for the military man. You just keep on your goals". In June, seeing her father put the skip back in her step. Watching her perform, he held up an American flag with the words: 'I love America.
God bless our Troops. Go Team USA. Go Gabby Douglasd. Love, Dad. He told the Des Moines Register that he would try to make it to London to watch his girl try for the gold, but it appears he wasn't able to. Doing it without him: Gabby's father was absent from the crowd during her astonishing win. Family: Sister Arielle Hawkins, left, said that Gabby, center, considered quitting gymnastics because of the stress she felt not knowing if her father was safe.
Their brother John is pictured at right. Mr Douglas said that it was obvious from the outset that he had a special little girl. When she was just seven-years old, she refused to stay home from the gym when she was sick. He continued: 'We knew she had that type of zeal, we knew she had that type of strength. The family struggled to pay for her training, with Ms Hawkins alone in their Virginia Beach home.
The family applied for military scholarships to help fund Gabby's training. Triumph: Thanks to her gold, Gabrielle Douglas will appear on special Olympics cereal boxes. At right, she embraces her coach Liang Chow.
Must-see TV: Experts say that Americans may have felt more compelled to watch the Olympics knowing that athletes like Gabby Douglas were going to win gold. That funding paid for her to attend a gymnastics camp in Texas with renowned coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi - who helped her win the gold in London. After the camp, Gabby told her mom, Natalie Hawkins, that she wanted to move from their home in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to train with Chow, who coached Shawn Johnson in Ms Hawkins said absolutely not; there was no way she was allowing the youngest of her four children to move halfway across the country at After a history-making one-two punch that saw Gabby win Olympic gold medals in both the individual all-around and team competition, she wavered on the uneven bars Monday, placing eighth.
She'll get another shot at a medal Tuesday—her last hurrah at the Games—when she competes on the balance beam. Big moments from the Olympics. The gold medal winner opened up to the New York Post about the impact of her father, Timothy Douglas, leaving her mother, Natalie Hawkins, to support her and three older siblings.
My dad didn't really pay the child support. He was short [on money]. It was definitely hard on her part, and she had to take care of me and the rest of my siblings. Gabby's mother filed for bankruptcy in January. Her father, an Air Force staff sergeant who has served in the Middle East, has attempted to remain supportive.
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