LONDON (AP) — Gabby Douglas believed two years ago, when she convinced her mother to let her move halfway across the country.
Martha Karolyi became a convert over the winter, when the bubbly teenager with the electric smile developed the tenacity required to be a champion.
Under the brightest lights, on the biggest stage, that belief shattered a glass ceiling.
Even if the first African-American to win an Olympic all-around title didn't quite realize it.
"I kind of forgot about that," Douglas said with a laugh.
Don't worry, Gabby, the world is going to have fun reminding you.
Douglas soared her way into history Thursday night, leading the whole way to climb a mountain paved by Ron Galimore, Dominique Dawes and a handful of others who showed the sport isn't just for the white or the privileged.
"How inspiring is that?" said Natalie Hawkins, the woman who allowed her then 14-year-old "baby" daughter to move from Virginia to Iowa in 2010 after Douglas convinced her that she was good enough to compete at the top.
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