Gymnast Gabby Douglas on Preparing for the London 2012 Olympics
You've seen her on the covers of Time and Sports Illustrated magazines, and have certainly heard her name-checked in every countdown of the top athletes to watch. So It's no wonder that Gabby Douglas is all smiles—she's become America's golden girl after taking the lead in the Olympic trials and defeating the reigning world and national champion Jordyn Wieber. Though Gabby has trained for this moment since childhood—even moving away from her family so that she could work with beam gold medalist Shawn Johnson's coach—much of her success has come in the past year. Gabby won the gold in her signature event, the uneven bars, at the 2012 U.S. Championships and the silver medal in the all-around (coming in just behind Wieber). At the Olympic Trials, she edged out Wieber by just 0.1 points. Though the two girls will certainly battle for the all-around gold, what's important to remember is that together, they'll lead the U.S. to a team victory. Read on to find out Gabby's favorite music and what she's looking forward to purchasing at Harrods.
1/5After coming in first place at the Olympic trials, this sixteen-year-old athlete is favored to win the gold at the Summer Games.
Photo: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC Olympics2/5"My older sister Arielle taught me gymnastics. She was taking classes, and I copied her. My family lives in Virginia, and I train in Iowa and live a with a 'host family.' Of course I miss my family in Virginia, but I know that this is what I have to do to work with the best coaches and become the best gymnast I can be."
Photo: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC Olympics3/5"I train six days a week. Three days a week, I have two sessions of practice. I try to have as normal life as possible, but I'm home-schooled, so there's still a lot of work to do. I like to go to the movies, crochet, do crossword puzzles, listen to music, read, and I recently started to play the piano. I watch sports, too."
"I like all kinds of music—it depends what kind of mood I'm in. Lately, I've been listening to Katy Perry, Lil' Wayne and Drake—only the clean versions though!"
Photo: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC Olympics4/5"There's a lot to see and do in London that I'm excited about—Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, and maybe I'll even meet the Queen. I'm also looking forward to going to Harrods. I hear the store has a lot of chocolate, and I love chocolate!"
Photo: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC Olympics5/5"I love MAC lip gloss. I always have it on when I'm competing and in my bag with me wherever I go. Some of my favorite brands are Nike, Aeropostale, and Miss Me Jeans."
