Gabby Douglas competed for the first time since the 2016 Olympics on Saturday, beginning her bid to make a third Olympic gymnastics team.
Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around champion, placed 11th in the all-around with 50.65 points at the American Classic, in Katy, Texas, a tune-up meet for major competitions later this spring and summer.
Douglas, 28, had the second-highest score on vault, where she performed a double-twisting Yurchenko, and tied for fifth on the balance beam.
On floor exercise, she put her hands down after her first tumbling pass and had a large hop out of bounds on another. She also came off the uneven bars twice.
AMERICAN CLASSIC: Full Results
Two other Olympic gold medalists competed Saturday — Tokyo all-around champion Suni Lee, who performed on two of four events, and Tokyo floor exercise champion Jade Carey, who won the all-around with 55 points.
Other top Americans, including Simone Biles and Shilese Jones, will make their 2024 debuts later this spring.
Douglas announced last July that she was back in the gym with an eye on a 2024 Olympic bid.
In November, Douglas attended her first USA Gymnastics camp since 2016. She trains at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Texas.
Douglas was scheduled to compete at February’s Winter Cup but withdrew the week of the meet after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Olympic team of five will be named after June’s trials, where the field could include up to 10 women who own at least one Olympic or world championships medal.
Douglas can become the oldest U.S. Olympic female gymnast since 1952, according to the OlyMADMen.
“I would just love to go back out there and represent USA just one more time and just to have that feeling of being a part of something, being a part of a team again, would be amazing and a huge honor,” she said in February.
The gymnastics season continues with the Core Hydration Classic on May 18 in Hartford, Connecticut, where Biles is expected to make her 2024 competition debut.
That’s followed by the Xfinity U.S. Championships from May 30 to June 2 in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Olympic Trials from June 27-30 in Minneapolis.
➡️ American Classic, Senior Women
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➡️ Vault
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