The only woman whose Olympic star shone as brightly as that of 5-time Olympic medalist Missy Franklin at the Olympics upended the three aquatics nominees for the Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year award.
Douglas won two golds at the 2012 Summer Olympics: one as a part of the women's gymnastics team, and one as the all-around champion. Her individual title was considered to be a huge upset, as she became the first woman to win the all-around title without taking a single medal in an individual discipline.
Aside from Franklin, Paralympic ChampionJessica Long was also nominated in the individual sport category, and water polo player Maggie Steffens was nominated for the team sport category.
The award, which was voted on by fans, has gone to swimmers four times in history: Amy van Dyken (1996), Jenny Thompson (2000), Natalie Coughlin (2003), and paralympian Erin Popovich (2005).
The award was announced tonight in a ceremony in New York City. The team sports Woman of the Year award went to American soccer player Alex Morgan, who spurred Team USA to Olympic gold.