Gabby Douglas announces comeback, aims for Olympics

Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion, will return to competition this month for the first time in eight years.

Douglas, in an interview with NBC News Now on Tuesday, said she will participate in the Winter Cup in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 24. The 28-year-old's new goal is to qualify for the U.S. team that will compete in Paris this summer.

"I'm super excited to get back out there," Douglas said to NBC. "I would love to go back out there and represent the USA just one more time."

In addition to her individual Olympic gold in 2012 in London, Douglas was part of the United States' championship team. The U.S. squad successfully defended the Olympic title four years later in Rio de Janeiro, which was the last time Douglas competed.

"I never announced a retirement," Douglas said on NBC. "I didn't want to end this sport like I did in 2016. I wanted to take a step back and work on myself and my mental state."

Also vying for spots on the U.S. team this summer are the past two Olympic all-around champions. Simone Biles won all-around gold in Rio, and Sunisa Lee captured that tile in 2020 at Tokyo. The Olympic trials will be held in Minneapolis in late June.

If Douglas makes the team, she would be the oldest U.S. female Olympic gymnast since the 1970s, according to USA Today.