Golden Girls: Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles Cover ‘Teen Vogue’
Gabby Douglas won gold in both the individual all-around and the team competitions at the London Olympics in 2012 — but she’s not done yet. “I love to push limits. I feel like I haven’t reached my full potential yet,” the 20-year-old told Teen Vogue. Appearing on the magazine’s August cover, the gymnast wears a Nike bralette and compression shorts. with her hair styled in long fishtail braids.
Photo: Jason Kibbler for Teen Vogue
While the “Fierce Five” American team — Douglas, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber— won’t be reunited in Rio, Douglas will have Simone Biles to keep her company. Getting a cover as well, Biles is pictured in a sports bra and leggings, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Like Douglas, the 19-year-old was also extremely accomplished at a very young age. As the story notes, she’s “the only female gymnast to take home all-around gold at the prestigious World Gymnastics Championships three years in a row, her 10 golds there are the most of any female gymnast in history, and her 14 medals overall are the most of any American.”
Photo: Jason Kibbler for Teen Vogue
Yet, just because both of these beautiful women are champions and heading off to compete on the world stage, doesn’t mean they haven’t faced adversity. At the London Games, Douglas was criticized for her appearance. “It was very tough. Sometimes I would be in the bathroom, bawling my eyes out, wanting to quit. I felt like I was all alone. But when I came through it, I felt as if I could overcome anything.” Biles has faced similarly harsh criticism. Italian gymnast Carlotta Ferlito said in 2013, “Next time we should also paint our skin black, so we can win too,” in response to being beaten by Biles, though the American brushed it off. “It went viral, but it didn’t bother me one bit,” she said. “I guess I just have really tough skin. I was like, whatever.”
The power duo, who are friends, teammates, and competitors, will both be looking to make history. Douglas wants to repeat her all-around gold medal title, which hasn’t happened since 1968. As for Biles, who’s favored to sweep nearly every event, she’ll be nipping on her heels. But, she says, “the team comes first.”
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