Nancy Armour

USA TODAY Sports

RIO DE JANEIRO — Gabby Douglas has had enough of the negativity.

Despite having two Olympic gold medals and finishing second to Simone Biles at last year’s world championships, Douglas took plenty of criticism after beating out Ashton Locklear for the last spot on the five-woman Rio team.

Yes, her performance at the national championships was lackluster. And yes, she struggled at the Olympic trials, falling off the balance beam each night.

But c’mon people, give her a break. And if not her, then Martha Karolyi, who has proven over the years that not only does she know a thing or two about picking a team, she has a knack for bringing out the best in Douglas.

“Everyone makes mistakes,” Douglas said Thursday night, an edge creeping into her voice. “After trials it was hard because there was a lot of negativity but, whatever. I’m shutting it all away.

“I feel like I always have to prove myself, no matter if I do good,” she added. “You know what? I’m just going to go out here and not listen to any negative thing and really shine bright. Do what I’m really capable of doing.”

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On the bubble only a month ago, Douglas has made such great strides that she’ll likely do all four events in Sunday’s preliminaries, giving her a chance to qualify for the all-around final. The top 24 after qualifying advance to the final, with a limit of two gymnasts per country.

This was exactly what Karolyi envisioned when she picked Douglas. She knows how much talent Douglas has. She also knows that when Douglas is at training camp at her ranch, where there’s barely Wi-Fi let alone distractions, the reigning Olympic champion will make more improvement in a week than most gymnasts will in six months.

“I know Gabby for many years,” Karolyi said. “She definitely needs a very organized and structured training system, what we install before competitions. She reacts very well to that and responds very, very well so we were able to do good improvements.

“I feel she’s ready to compete.”

Karolyi’s opinion is the only one that counts, and Douglas is grateful for her support.

“She’s told me, `You can do this. Just go for this 100%. Don’t be tentative and don’t shy away.’ ” Douglas said “That means a lot to me, knowing she believes in me so much.”

Still, it’s clear the public criticism grates on Douglas. Whether it’s her hair at the London Games or her spot on this team, there’s always someone who wants to knock her down. No matter what she does, it will never be good enough for some people.

But that, she has finally decided, is their problem. Criticize her, try to make her feel bad. She’s still going to be an Olympic champion, with more medals to come. That’s a heck of a lot more than most of the world can say.