Four years ago, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Gabby Douglas became the first black American woman to win gymnastics’ most prestigious title: Olympic individual all-around champion. She was 16 at the time, a bundle of flash and grace in a metallic leotard. Looking back at her best event, the uneven bars, is like watching a superhero use her powers for the first time.

Douglas almost seems uncertain of her own ability, still figuring out how much power to pump into each swing. Her talent is undeniable:

To her competitors and the audience, Douglas was catching so much effortless air that she made her release skills — a beautiful Tkatchev in a piked position and a regular Tkatchev — look like completely different moves than what her competitors weredoing. Her dismount, a floaty double layout, was beautiful. And then she hit the landing.

That’s when you see it. Her lightness. Douglas can’t even hold the pose for a second. She doesn’t want to. She unleashes an unapologetic, bright smile, bouncing up and down.

Watching Douglas now, in 2016, it’s striking to realize that that version of Douglas is gone. Her skills are still there. Her bars routine, at the team event final, was the second best of the night.

But Douglas is different now.

At a press conference on Sunday, Douglas was on the verge of tears. Some of it was due to her dismal performance at the event finals, where she finished in seventh place. But Douglas has also had to deal with some challenges that few other American