Gabby Douglas' road to Olympic glory was far from easy.
The 16-year-old revealed to Oprah Winfrey on Sunday's Oprah's Next Chapter that she was often bullied and tormented - even at a local gym.
"One of my teammates was like, 'Can you scrape the bar?'" Douglas recalled. "And they were like, 'Why doesn't Gabby do it, she's our slave?'"
"I definitely felt isolated, I felt why am I deserving this? Is it because I'm black? Those thoughts would go through my mind," said the champ.
The teasing got so bad that, at age 14, Gabby Douglas threatened to quit the sport altogether if they couldn't move away and find a new coach.
"I felt like I was bullied and isolated from the group, and they treated me not how they would treat the other teammates," the star admitted.
Indeed, Douglas eventually did move to Des Moines, Iowa, to train at Liang Chow's gym, where fellow Olympic champ Shawn Johnson trained.
Fast forward two years and she's the first ever African-American individual all-around winner, as well as a gold medalist with her teammates.
There will always be Gabby Douglas hair haters, but there's no doubt about who came out on top - and whose future is nothing but bright.
Miguel Arteta Miguel Littin Mihai Timofti Miho Maeshima Mika Kaurismäki
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