"We didn't have that lifestyle of Cartier & Louis Vuitton"- Gabby Douglas reveals how $37500 felt like lot after gold in all-around at London Olympics

Gabby Douglas is one of America's most successful gymnasts, boasting three Olympic gold medals as well as two World Championships titles. The 28-year-old recently opened up on how her success in the sport transformed her life away from the mat.

Douglas rocketed to fame in 2012 when she represented Team USA at the London Olympics as part of the ‘Fierce Five' gymnastics team. She returned from the competition as the first African-American to be crowned Olympic all-around champion, while also helping the US to a team gold.

Four years later, Douglas returned to the Olympic stage as part of the ‘Final Five' gymnastics team and helped the USA defend their team title at the Rio Games. The gymnast is also a two-time World Championships gold medalist, having won team titles in 2011 and 2015. In the latter of those two campaigns, she also claimed silver in the all-around.

Recently, speaking to Vivian Tu in an interview, Gabby Douglas revealed how her success in gymnastics transformed her life. The American opened up on how, given her family's background, even the smallest deals meant the world to her.

“We didn't grow up with money. So even when the smallest, the smallest deal came in, I thought it was a lot of money. We didn't have that lifestyle of Cartier and Louis Vuitton. It was very, very simple. And so, in our heads, it was like, okay, we're getting somewhere you know. We came from $0 or $15 in the bank to this amount. I was so happy, I was like ‘oh my goodness, we got bank’.”

Gabby Douglas on the cost of being a gymnast

In the same interview, Gabby Douglas revealed that before the money from her winnings poured in, it was her family that bore all the cost of her training. The Olympic champion listed out the various expenses that were necessary to help her reach the highest level of the score and shared that her parents never let her focus on the monetary aspects of gymnastics.

“You pay for basically everything. You pay for the grips, you pay for your time at the gym, leotards, travel, coach’s fees, your fees, administration, monthly tuition. I didn't realize how much money went into my sport. Of course, my family sacrificed a lot, they wanted me to focus on gymnastics, they didn't want me to focus on the money part and that side of it. But now, being in business, it's honestly changed my perspective very much.”

Gabby Douglas took a lengthy hiatus from gymnastics post the 2016 Rio Olympics, and made a competitive comeback to the sport in 2023. While she was unable to qualify for the Paris Olympics, the gymnast is now focused on making it to the 2028 Games.