Gabby Douglas Splits with Liang Chow

Aug 21, 2013 by Jennifer Teitell

The rumors are true. 2012 Women's Olympic All Around Champion Gabby Douglas has split from Coach Liang Chow to move to Los Angeles.

Douglas resumed her training in May at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance in Iowa. Chow was patiently pacing his star pupil for a return to the Olympic Games. However, Douglas informed the famous coach and wife Liwen Zhang on Monday that she would continue her training in Los Angeles with a new coach. The very next day, she left for California. Douglas will join her family who relocated to Los Angeles earlier this summer.

Zhang said that Gabby stopped by the gym to say goodbye but no reason was given for the sudden move. "I did talk to her. She was a little upset," Liwen told The Des Moines Register.

Chow rose to prominence when he brought gymnast Shawn Johnson to the world stage. Johnson's considerable success at the 2008 Olympic Games where she took home four medals including a Gold from the Balance Beam Event Final popularized Chow's Gymnastics as a hot-bed for gymnasts with elite aspirations. In 2012, Chow proved his talent again when Douglas earned Gold at the Olympic Women's All Around Final, the most coveted title in women's gymnastics.

Gymnastike visited Douglas and Chow's Gymnastics in mid-June while filming our "Beyond the Routine" feature. Douglas appeared very serious about her training and committed to a long-term parntership with Coach Chow.

Despite Gabby's departure, Chow still has a legitimate shot of placing other athletes on the Rio 2016 Olympic Team. His current Olympic hopefuls include Norah Flatley who was named to the U.S. Junior National Team last week, as well as Alexis Vasquez, and Rachel Gowey.