Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas says gymnastics is a mental game despite athletes' stunning physical feats
- Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas thinks gymnastics is both physically and mentally taxing.
- The Fierce Five and Final Five star helps mentor young gymnasts through the pressure of competition.
- "I feel like I was put here to help people and I love helping people," Douglas told Insider.
Gabby Douglas knows better than anyone what it takes to achieve Olympics glory.
And according to the three-time gold medalist, gymnastics is as much a trial of mental fortitude as it is a test of physical ability.
"Our brains are one of the most powerful tools on the planet, so if you really set your mind to anything, you can achieve anything," Douglas told Insider while discussing her partnership with Smoothie King. "It really takes a lot of effort and energy and strength to be a gymnast."
"It takes so much guts and courage and mindset and tenacity," she added. "It takes everything out of you and you have to lay down a lot."
As a star on the Fierce Five and Final Five USA Gymnastics squads that won gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, respectively, Douglas is inimately familiar with the intense spotlight placed on Olympic athletes. The pressure that comes along with that spotlight, she says, is "a lot and it's not easy."
Even though Douglas has moved on to pursue other ventures outside of gymnastics, the 25-year-old makes a point to "mentor" Olympic hopefuls and up-and-coming gymnasts on the mental challenges of high-level competitions.
"I feel like I was put here to help people and I love helping people," Douglas said. "So if I can help them mentally or physically, or even share my experiences, anything to help them, I totally do that."
"It's very hard," she added. "But I just tell them to go out there and really have fun and take that pressure off, because if you do what you do in the gym, then you're all set. There's nothing more you can ask for."
There are significant challenges that come with competing on the world's biggest stage, to be sure. But Douglas insists that "it's a beautiful thing to represent your country" despite those struggles.
"It goes by so fast," she said. "So enjoy and be grateful for every single thing and every single moment."