Gabby Douglas, the teenager who claimed the gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics competition, has been voted the Associated Press’ female athlete of the year. She beat Olympic swimming star Missy Franklin by 7 votes as she received 48 out of 157 votes while Franklin received 41 votes. ”I didn’t realize how much of an impact I made,” said Douglas, who turns 17 this month. “My mom and everyone said, ‘You really won’t know the full impact until you’re 30 or 40 years old.’ But it’s starting to sink in.”
Douglas, who was the first African American to win gold in a gymnastics all-around competition, has chosen to take the coming year off from competition. She will instead devote a chunk of 2013 by participating in the Teen Choice Live Tour. “She deserves to enjoy for herself all the sunshine stuff,” said her coach Liang Chow. “When it’s time for her to come back, she will know it.”
