Friday, August 3, 2012

Olympics 2012: Gabby Douglas' Gold Medal Spurs Corn Flakes Box

The 17-year old gymnast won the all-around contest and the hearts of Americans on Thursday night.

Already a team gold medal winner at the London Olympics, Gabby Douglas earned individual glory by taking home the top prize in the prestigious all-around gymnastics event. And in this, the first so-called "social media Olympics," her history-making achievement earned plenty of online attention.

Douglas' win was significant in a number of ways: she beat the highly touted Russian favorite, defied those uncertain about her ability, and became the first ever person of color to win this event.

Twitter exploded when NBC broadcast her win -- even with the tape delay -- and she received plenty of shoutouts from celebrities. Douglas received plaudits from Oprah Winfrey, Gabrielle Union, Michael Phelps, Octavia Spencer, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Snooki, Elizabeth Banks and ultimate Olympic twitterer Samuel L. Jackson, among many others. And that comes in addition to the mention she got from President Obama on Wednesday.

Almost immediately, Kelloggs announced that Douglas would grace the cover of a Corn Flakes box, releasing the mock-up for all to see. It should be one of many promotional materials for the young athlete.
She also published a column with ESPN, giving her first person take on the road to gold.

"People have asked if I felt like I was on fire here in London, but I just feel normal, the same as I do every day in practice. The difference has been that I was ready to seize the moment, to focus and to trust in what I can do," Douglas wrote. "You say you want to do it and you dream about it every day, but then when it happens, it's hard to believe it really has. Tonight, when the U.S. flag was raised and the national anthem played, there were so many camera flashes going off I felt like I was at a concert.

"And the crazy thing was, they were all taking pictures of me."

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