For the first time in history, three women’s Olympic all-around champions, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee, will compete in the same event as they each vie to return to another Olympics.
“I love this generation,” said Douglas on Friday. “We’re pushing the boundaries and saying, ‘Hey, you don’t have to be 16 and dominate. You can be in your 20s and still eat.’”
Of the three comebacks, Douglas’ presence in Hartford is the most fascinating.
Her journey since announcing her return last summer has been turbulent to say the least.
While Douglas’ American Classic showing was shaky, at Friday’s podium training, where gymnasts go through their routines on the competition floor, her performance was far more encouraging.
Douglas nearly missed the podium training after her commercial flight was cancelled on Thursday night, eventually making it there at the last minute with two hours sleep on a private jet owned by a friend of her agent.