Gabby Douglas Named Sportswoman Of The Year

Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas has been named Sportswoman of the Year for an individual sport by the Women’s Sports Foundation.

The gold medalist became the third gymnast to win the award, joining Mary Lou Retton and Nastia Liukin, who won the award in 1984 and 2008 respectively. Liukin presented Douglas with the award Wednesday night at the Salute for Women in Sports event in New York City.

Douglas showed up to the event wearing a black and gold BCBG dress, gold heels, and both of her Olympic gold medals. She told Enstarz.com, “It feels amazing. I’m just so honored to be here and so happy.” Douglas is currently on a tour to 40 different cities with the rest of the Team USA gymnasts.

The Sportswoman of the Year award is “given to an individual athlete who exhibits exceptional performances over a 12-month time span,” according to the foundation. Douglas was selected as the winner based on the total score collected by the public and the foundation’s Awards Committee.

Past winners include Michelle Kwan, Natalie Coughlin, and Gail Devers.

Gabby Douglas shot to stardom during the 2012 London Olympics, when she became the fourth American and first African-American to win the all-around gold. She also helped Team USA win their second team title. The first title was won in 1996.

Douglas is planning to write a memoir titled Grace, Gold and Glory, My Leap of Faith, due out in December. The book will detail her road to the Olympics, and will also be about how much her family has overcome the journey.

[Photo credit: Enstarz]