Gymnastic champion Gabby Douglas took to Instagram to show off her beautiful crown.
The athlete once faced heavy criticism for the way that she styled her hair, but Douglas says it’s one of the perils of the job.
“From the heart from a very young age i always had to put my hair in a tight ponytail to do gymnastics and due to that my hair became completely damaged,” she wrote in the post’s caption alongside a picture of her laying on her stomach with her long hair trailing down her back.
She continued, “I had bald spots on the back of my head. i was so embarrassed and self-conscious that i put a bunch of clips over the spots to try and cover them up, but it was still noticeable. my hair grew a little, but shortly after, i had to cut all of my hair off because it was so damaged.
Douglas made headlines all over the world in 2012 when she became the ‘all around champion’ in gymnastics at the Olympic Games. She was also part of the gold-winning American gymnastics teams in the 2012 Olympics and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“I cried and cried and cried. most days i didn’t even want to go to the gym because i felt so embarrassed that all my hair was gone. i used to think: why can’t i have healthy hair? despite yet another challenge, i kept going. fast forward to the both olympics and my hair was the topic of conversation 🥺 now here i am today – no extensions – no clip-ins – no wigs – no chemicals – all me. 💕”
It was announced this week that Douglas would be an ambassador for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
