"Not feeling worthy of being on that team" - Gabby Douglas on making 2016 Olympics contingent and not announcing retirement from gymnastics

Gabby Douglas, the individual all-around gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, has announced her return to gymnastics.

Douglas returned to the practice sessions about a year ago after taking a break for six years and has her sights set on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics five-member team to be decided in June 2024.

Douglas last competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she clinched a gold medal in the women's artistic all-around event along with her team. Her selection for the team stirred debate as she finished fourth in the all-around at the 2016 U.S. Championships and seventh at the Olympic trials.

Douglas' selection was based on the 2015 season, where she secured a silver medal in the all-around event at the 2015 World Championships despite a knee injury. During an interview with NBC, she admitted she endured criticism and decided to take a break to work on herself.

“I had to deal with that part of not feeling worthy of being on that team. I was like, OK, I need to take a break for myself and step back completely and work on me because it took a lot out of me physically, mentally, emotionally,” said Douglas.

Gabby Douglas stated that she returned to the sport that she loves because she intends to conclude it on a positive note.

“I never wanted to have a hatred for the sport that I love. I don’t want to end it that way. I’ve never announced retirement. I always kept in the back of my mind, like, we have to finish on a better note", she expressed.

In July this year, it was reported that the 27-year-old was training at the Texas-based World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in preparation for her third Olympics.

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Gabby Douglas is the first Black U.S. gymnast to win the Individual All-Around gold medal in gymnastics

Gabrielle Douglas competes on the balance beam in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team final at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

Gabby Douglas is the first Black U.S. gymnast to win the individual all-around gold medal in gymnastics. She secured a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Gabby Douglas secured the top position by scoring a total of 62.232 points. She left behind Russian gymnasts Viktoriia Komova and Aliya Mustafina who scored 61.973 and 59.566, respectively.

Douglas stated in Time Magazine's Person of the Week ep. 21 podcast that her victory was unanticipated and she was overwhelmed by the generous response from people.

"They were like, the President wants to speak to you. And it was Obama. He was just like, I want to congratulate you…And I was like, what? What is happening right now? So yeah, my life switched so quickly, literally overnight," she said.