Gabby Douglas tells Oprah Winfrey: I was ‘bullied,’ called ‘slave’
Gabrielle Douglas of the United States competes on the balance beam in the Gymnastics Women’s Individual All-Around final on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena.
Two-time gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that she faced racism and bullying in the years leading up to her win at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The 16-year-old revealed the details about how she was treated by her old teammates in Virginia Beach, Virginia in an interview with Oprah Winfrey set to air Sunday on "Oprah's Next Chapter" on the OWN network.
At one point, she said she even considered quitting gymnastics, according to Newsday.
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"The real truth is, you were going through some things at the other gym, right?" Winfrey asked, according to UPI.
"Yeah, I was going through some tough times," Douglas said. "I was just, you know, kind of getting racist jokes, kind of, being isolated from the group."
Douglas said she was called a "slave" by some of the others.
"I was the only African American at that gym," she said. "I definitely felt isolated. Why am I deserving this? Is it because I'm black?"
Douglas is the first African-American to claim the Olympics all-around title. Her nickname is the "The Flying Squirrel" because of her style on the mat.
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