It’s no secret Gabby Douglas considered quitting gymnastics in the years leading up to the Olympics for a litany of reasons, but until now, it was unclear exactly how close the gold medalist came. Fed up with all the long days and being separated from her family, the then fifteen-year-old reportedly texted her mom and said she was going to quit training, take a job at Chick-Fil-A and live off the fourteen thousand dollars she won at the World Championships. Luckily, she was eventually convinced to hold off on fast food to give the Olympics a shot.
According to The New York Daily News, Douglas tells the story in her new memoir Grace, Gold & Glory, as well as a few other difficult bumps in the road such as conflicts with other gymnasts and her difficult relationship with her father. During the lead-up to the Olympics, many outlets ran stories about Douglas’ dad serving in Afghanistan. That was true, but what wasn’t widely reported was that he wasn’t really a part of her life. In fact, one of the most recent times she talked to him, he reportedly asked her to autograph some merchandise.
The margin between success and failure in gymnastics is so razor thin. Even outside of the tenth of a point deductions that separate the winners from the losers, out of all the American gymnasts who work their asses off for dozens of hours a week, only a handful even make the Olympic team. Good for Gabby for sticking it out. She deserves all the success that has come her way.
