Olympics: 'Flying Squirrel' Douglas brought down to earth
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Gabrielle Douglas of the U.S. falls during the women's gymnastics balance beam final in the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 7, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON (AFP) - America's Gabrielle Douglas made an unceremonious exit from the Olympic gymnastics competition on Tuesday, falling from the balance beam to finish in seventh place in the apparatus final.
Last Thursday, the 16-year-old from Virginia became the first black woman to win an individual Olympic gymnastics medal when she soared to victory in the all-around final.
It gave her a second gold medal of the Games, after she played a starring role in the USA's women's team success, but the stardust appeared to have deserted her on Tuesday.
She slipped after performing a somersault on the beam and slid off the apparatus before hauling herself back on and completing her routine, which left her with a poor score of 13.633.
