UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Sports News

Gabby Douglas tells Oprah of bullying

|
 
American gymnast Gabrielle Douglas is airborne as she goes through her routine on the Floor Exercise to win the gold medal at the Women's Individual All-around Finals at the Greenwich North Arena at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Aug. 2 in London, England. UPI/Mike Theiler
American gymnast Gabrielle Douglas is airborne as she goes through her routine on the Floor Exercise to win the gold medal at the Women's Individual All-around Finals at the Greenwich North Arena at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Aug. 2 in London, England. UPI/Mike Theiler 
License photo
Published: Aug. 27, 2012 at 4:29 PM

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas told Oprah Winfrey she felt bullied while training in Virginia Beach, Va., and demanded a switch to a coach in Iowa.

Her comments are a part of the television program "Oprah's Next Chapter," to be presented on the OWN Network Sunday evening, in which Winfrey interviews the 16-year-old gymnast, an OWN press release said.

In the interview, the winner of two gold medals at the London Games said of some other students, "They treated me not how they would their other teammates."

Douglas' mother, Natalie Hawkins, told Winfrey her daughter wanted the family to leave Virginia Beach, and when Douglas was 14, she threatened to abandon gymnastics if she could not move to West Des Moines, Iowa, to train with another coach. Douglas, her mother and three siblings moved to Iowa two years ago to enable Douglas to train with coach Liang Chow.

Topics: Oprah Winfrey
Recommended Stories
© 2012 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional Sports News Stories
1 of 16
Tornadoes Devastate Moore, Oklahoma
View Caption
A damaged movie theater is seen in aftermath of a series of tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma, May 21, 2013. On May 20 a series of tornadoes swept through severals towns south of Oklahoma City leaving a path of destruction and killing at least 24 people. UPI/J.P. Wilson
fark
"If you're going to act like Nellie Olsen, you're going to dress like Nellie Olsen." Mom punishes...
Real estate tip: Just because your house overlooks a golf course doesn't mean it will always be...
Man breaks into fortune teller's home to get his money back after love spell fails. Guess she didn't...
Marijuana bacon. Dude
You run out of gas along the interstate. Do you A: Call a friend for help? B: Call a tow truck?...
Thanks to generous donations a 91 year old WWII vet will not be evicted from his home of 56 years...