While most 16-year-old girls are busy making Chris Brown shrines, Olympic sensation Gabrielle Douglas (pictured) just lead the 2012 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team to a gold medal this week. But there’s much more to her than just shining at the Games. Here, NewsOne gives you 10 facts about “Gabby” that you probably didn’t know.RELATED: Gabrielle Douglas Helps Women’s U.S. Gymnastics Team Win Gold!
1) Douglas’ high-energy performances on uneven bars earned her the nickname “Flying Squirrel” from Martha Karolyi, the National Team Coordinator for USA Gymnastics. [Source: Wikipedia]
2) Four years ago, Douglas asked her mother for permission to move 3,000 miles away from their home in Virginia Beach, Va., to live and train with a top-level gymnastics coach in Des Moines, Iowa. While her mom was initially hesitant, she eventually relented. Since Douglas’ performance earned her Olympic team a gold medal, clearly her family’s sacrifice was worth it. [Source: Shine From Yahoo]
Watch Gabrielle talk about becoming the next Black Olympian superstar:
3) This isn’t the first time Gabrielle has tasted gold. She won another gold medal with the U.S. Gymnastics Team at last year’s World Championships event. [Source: USA Gymnastics]
4) While she took an interest in gymnastics at a very young age, Gabrielle officially became a gymnast in 2002. [Source: USA Gymnastics]
Watch Gabrielle at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo:
5) Gabrielle performed her first flawless cartwheel at age 3. [Source: Time Magazine]
6) In 2004, Douglas became Virginia’s State Champion in Gymnastics. [Source: GabrielleDouglas.com]
7) This past March, Douglas competed in the AT&T American Cup at Madison Square Garden, placing fourth in the all-around competition. [Source: GabrielleDouglas.com]
Watch Gabrielle Douglas’s mom talk about raising an Olympian superstar:
8) Debuting as a senior gymnast last year, Gabrielle qualified for her first Senior National Championships in St. Paul, Minn. She would go on to become the 2011 Bronze Medalist on uneven bars. [Source: Gabrielle Douglas.com]
9) President Barack Obama personally congratulated Gabrielle and the entire U.S. Women’s Team this past Wednesday, telling Gabby via phone to “keep at it.” [Source: PilotOnline.com]
10) Gabrielle’s favorite book to read is “Twilight.” [Source: TeamUSA.org]
Good luck with the rest of your Olympic battles, Gabrielle!
RELATED: Really? Olympic Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas Gets Twitter Hate Over Hair
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