Gabby Douglas: I Was "Googling Myself" After Historic Olympic Win

USMagazine, Friday, August 3, 2012, 8:00am (PDT)

Who wouldn't?

After her awe-inspiring gold medal win at the Women's All-Around final competition on Thursday -- and a medal ceremony, TV interviews and more -- Gabby Douglas kicked back in her room at the Olympic Village and unwound with some web-surfing.

"I was on my computer -- Googling myself" the 16-year-old told Us Weekly exclusively on Friday, after her TODAY show interview. As the very first African-American to achieve the feat, Douglas is an especially newsworthy champ at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

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"I googled 'Gabby Douglas,' and all these things popped up like 'Gabby Douglas makes history!' And 'She's the champion!'" she admitted to Us, laughing. "It was an amazing feeling. I was looking at all the pictures of me on the podium."

And when the instant superstar woke up at Friday morning, she moved on to Twitter. "I was so excited this morning," she said. "I woke up at like 6 am and I saw the tweets! It was awesome. I've been on a tweeting mission."

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Indeed, stars like Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Taylor Swift and many others have sent their digital congrats to the history-making tumbler.

"It's not going to hit me until I go home and see posters and signs everywhere!" the Virginia native said of the hoopla. "I'm very excited!"

Another thrilling moment was a phone call from President Barack Obama. "It was an amazing experience and such an honor," she gushed. "I was like 'Oh, Mr. President, it's so nice to meet you -- I mean, talk to you! Sorry.'" Obama, 50, invited Douglas and fellow All-Around finalist Aly Raisman to visit the White House. (Raisman narrowly missed nabbing the bronze medal.)

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Douglas is definitely looking forward to a little R 'n R at home. "I just want to see my dogs!" she said.

And expect to see the champ at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, she hinted. "I'm definitely going to keep going. I don't think I'm going to retire just yet," she told Us. "People tell me I'm too young, and I want to stick with it."

"The hard work definitely paid off and hard work always does," she added happily. "If you have the dedication, drive and determination, then you're there and you have it. You just have to be yourself and go full with confidence and be courageous!"

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Gabby Douglas: I Was "Googling Myself" After Historic Olympic Win