Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas, Winner of the Sportswoman of the Year Award (Individual Sport)
Gabrielle Douglas received the prominent Sportswoman of the Year Award for an individual sport, given to an individual sport athlete who exhibits exceptional performances over a 12-month time span. After helping the U.S. to team gold at the 2011 World Championships in October, Douglas won the gold medal on the uneven bars in March at the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships, where she also helped the USA to the team title. In June, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars, silver medal in the all-around and bronze medal on the floor exercise at the 2012 Visa Championships. Just a few weeks later, Douglas won the all-around title at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials – Gymnastics, earning an automatic spot on the women’s Olympic Team. Following that stellar performance, Douglas quickly became a household name during the 2012 Olympic Games. Douglas was an integral part of the effort to win the team gold medal at the London Olympic Games, where the USA easily won the team title and became known as The Fierce FiveSM. The 16-year-old from Virginia Beach, Virginia, is just the fourth U.S. woman and the first African-American to win the coveted Olympic all-around title.Past winners include Yani Tseng, Erin Popovich, Natalie Coughlin, Michelle Kwan and Gail Devers. This year, the winner was selected based on a total score collected by the public and the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Awards Committee. Public votes were captured via the Women’s Sports Foundation
website, www.WomensSportsFoundation.org
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