Defeating The Odds : Sensational Gabrielle Douglas Wins The Gold For All-Around Competition

The Golden Girl made history after winning the Gold in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition.  Gabrielle Douglas is the first woman of color to do so.

But before the 16-year-old from Virginia Beach, VA became an Olympian, Douglas’ mother Natalie Hawkin’s said it wasn’t easy figuring out how to keep her daughter in the sport.

Hawkins, a single mother, told CNN: “After years of persuading me I finally gave in and took her to a trial class. She just never wanted to come out of the gym. She loved it. She would practice all the time. So I saw then the hard work.”

“I didn’t realize when I got into this sport how expensive it was. Just the commitment over the years, sometimes it felt crushing. I didn’t think I’d be able to keep her in the sport. But then I’d think about it and say: you’ve got to fight. If I had to sell. I sold almost all of my jewelry, if I had to pick up extra shifts at work. Whatever it takes.”

Hawkins did whatever it took, and sent her daughter to Iowa to train with one of the best coaches,  Liang Chow. Now Ms. Gabrielle Douglas is not only a World Champion, but an Olympic hero and a two-time Gold medalist.

Congratulations Gabrielle Douglas!

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Photo By Agência Brasil Fotografias, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gabby_Douglas_2016_Olympics_Rio.jpg