The American gymnast Gabby Douglas has suffered a barrage of online abuse for her appearance and a perceived lack of patriotism, according to the three-time gold medalist’s mother. “She’s had to deal with people criticizing her hair, or people accusing her of bleaching her skin,” Douglas’ mother, Natalie Hawkins, told Reuters in an interview on Sunday. The abuse has left Douglas “heartbroken”, her mother said. “I’m so overwhelmed at what our team accomplished today and overjoyed that we were able to bring home another gold for our country!”But her mother said that the online abuse has continued. “We’ve been brought to many tears because I don’t know what she’s done to warrant such an attack,” Hawkins said.

Source: The Guardian August 14, 2016 19:52 UTC