Categories
Virgina Beach

Gabby Douglas: London 2012 Golden Girl honored with her own 30 foot mural in the hometown of Virgina Beach

Wall of Fame: Olympic gold girl Gabby Douglas was honored in the hometown with her own 30-foot mural

The Olympic gymnastics sensation Gabby Douglas is so big in her hometown of Virginia Beach that you can now see her from afar.

Two local residents honored the groundbreaking two-time gold medalist with a huge mural on the side of a bar, and the 16-year-old champion loves it.

‘IMPRESSIVE!!! That’s great!! (Hashtag) so honored, ”Douglas tweeted on Friday from the London Olympics.

Picture perfect: Eric Lindbergh from TALENT Murals is working on the picture of gymnast Gabby Douglas on the side of Gator’s Sports Bar & Grill on Holland Road in Virginia Beach

The brothers got the idea to paint the mural after seeing Douglas' medal ceremony It took Eric Lindbergh (left) and brother Todd Lindbergh (right) four days to create the 30-foot mural

Love Work: It took brothers Todd and Eric Lindbergh four days to paint the 9 by 30 foot fresco

The realistic mural shows Douglas with a gold medal against the background of the American flag and the words: “Keep it up, Gabby.”

Brothers Todd and Eric Lindbergh used TALENT Murals to paint the 9 by 30 foot fresco on the outside wall of AJ Gators Sports Bar & Grill on Holland Road for four days.

Todd Lindbergh said he found out Douglas was from Virginia Beach, and the idea of ​​paying tribute to the young phenomenon through art came the moment he saw her on television at a medal ceremony.

Bigger Than Life: Douglas tweeted and named her colorful hometown tribute

Bigger than Life: Douglas tweeted about her colorful hometown tribute, calling it “amazing”.

Hometown Girl: The 16-year-old started out at the Excalibur gym in Virginia Beach before moving to Iowa

Hometown Girl: The 16-year-old started out at the Excalibur gym in Virginia Beach before moving to Iowa

Douglas became the first African American woman to win the grand prize in the all-round event, and she won gold for the women’s team’s gymnastics performance.

The 16-year-old started at the Excalibur gym in Virginia Beach before moving to Iowa to work out with trainer Liang Chow.

Douglas' hometown fast food chain Hardee's shows its support with a sign The athlete's picture was on a box of Kellogg's corn flakes

Prestigious awards: Hardee’s fast food chain honored Douglas with a plaque in their hometown, while Kellogg’s grain company featured the athlete’s picture on a box of corn flakes

Douglas will soon have the opportunity to see her mural firsthand. With the games coming to an end on Sunday, the gymnast plans to travel to Virginia Beach, according to Virginia WAVY.com.

In an interview with NBC on Friday, she said, “Yes, I’ll visit my hometown of Virginia Beach first and give a sneak peek of what I’ve missed, and then I’ll return to my second home in Iowa.”

The fresh-faced gymnast, nicknamed the Flying Squirrel for her acrobatic skills, has also inspired other honors.

Trailblazer: Douglas became the first African American woman to win a gold medal in the women's all-round competition

Trailblazer: Douglas became the first African American woman to win a gold medal in the women’s all-round competition

Douglas won a gold medal for the women's team's performance The teenage girl has been dubbed the Flying Squirrel because of her acrobatic skills

Golden Girl: Douglas won the grand prize for women’s gymnastics performance

Hardee’s fast food chain showed its support for the Virginia Beach girl with a sign that read “Gabby is Golden!”

Nationally, Douglas’ picture from an Olympic medal ceremony was featured on a box of Kellogg’s corn flakes in a marketing deal that could be worth millions of dollars to the teenager.