Gabby Douglas, a renowned U.S. gymnast and 2012 Olympic champion, returned to gymnastics competition at the American Classic in Katy, Texas. Competing for the first time since the 2016 Rio Olympics, the 28-year-old scored 50.65 in the all-around event, successfully qualifying for the US championships set to take place next month in Fort Worth, Texas. Earlier this year, Douglas had to withdraw from the Winter Cup due to a positive COVID-19 test. She showcased strengths in her signature event, the bars, but acknowledged the need for consistency across her routines. Douglas aims to secure a spot on the US Olympic team for the upcoming Paris Games.

Meanwhile, Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan won his third European Championship title on the pommel horse, at the competition held in Rimini, Italy. Scored 15.300, McClenaghan outperformed competitors including Dutch gymnast Loran de Munck and Marios Georgiou from Cyprus. Aged 24, McClenaghan has previously won two World Championships and a Commonwealth Games gold, setting sights on the Paris Olympic Games.

In the same European Championships, British gymnast Jake Jarman secured a gold medal in the vault event, with impressive scores leading to an average of 14.883. This follows his success as Great Britain’s first vault world champion in 2023. British gymnast Luke Whitehouse also participated, coming sixth in vault, while UK’s James Hall scored fifth in the parallel bars final, an event won by Ukraine’s Illia Kovtun. The British men’s gymnastics team, bolstered by these performances, prepared for the upcoming team final with Jarman being a significant contributor.