It should be a crime that I discovered Dominique Dawes through a shared Facebook video that is nearly 12 years older than me. In this video we see a spunky 15 year old girl, all arms and legs with a fresh roller set and smile that lights up the whole room. She poses at the edge of a padded blue mat for a shade of a second before she unleashes what is now known as one of best floor routines in USA Gymnastics history. Revitalizing a move patented by the Soviet Union’s coveted, Oksana Omelianchik, Dawes’ back-to-back tumbling routine was not only met with a standing ovation from the 1992 Japan vs. USA duel match crowd, but a perfect 10 from the judges as well.

Crowd pleasing and bulldozing through color barriers set over the years, Dawes seemed to be a shoe-in but was unfortunately left off of the 1992 Olympics team.

Down but not out, Dawes used that setback as a stepping stool.

With a solid floor exercise and a grit that seemed to be unmatched, Dawes battled through multiple injuries to place 4th and seal a spot on her first Olympic team.

Though not an immediate stand out in Barcelona, Dawes would only compete in the team competition, contributing to the team’s Bronze metal. The 1992 Olympics seemed to be all the trial and error that she needed, as she soon came into her own as an all-around gymnast in 1993. She came away from the games with with a very respectable two silver medals, but she now had a new found hunger for gold.

Standing alongside a group of girls that were dubbed the “Magnificent Seven,” Dawes played a key roll on the 1996 Olympics team. Seemingly without a flaw, Dawes breezed through the competition, being the only team member to have all eight scores count towards the teams’ overall total.

Alongside Shannon Miller, Jaycie Phelps, Dominique Moceanu, Amanda Borden, Amy Chow and Kerri Strug, Dawes captured her very first gold medal, as well as being part of the first American team to take the Olympic title.

With this feat, Domonique Dawes became the first black person of any nationality or gender to win an Olympic Gold Medal in gymnastics.

Dawes would later fall short in the all-around competition after a critical error during her floor exercise, thus ending the 96 Olympics on a sour note. She would later rejoin Team USA for a third time and help the team clinch a bronze medal. The 2000 Sydney Olympics would be Dawes last stance on the world stage, retiring on a high note.

Though her achievements serves as a testimony to how great she was, it was Dawes’ struggles, subsequent victories and her sheer will to breakdown racial barriers that solidified her place in history.

Taught from birth that as a black women she has to be two times better than her white counterparts, Dawes’ drive and ambition shouldn’t come as surprise to us. It should actually make sense because when black people, especially black women, are bestowed with an opportunity, we don’t simply win, but conquer and completely dominate.

Dawes’ is not the first African-American to compete for the US Gymnastics team, but she is one of the most important pieces to a very difficult puzzle for African-American gymnast. She is the puzzle piece that clicked and connected dreams to reality, a reality that she made obtainable and feasible for girls who had been shutout of the sport for nearly 45 years.

Luci Collins laid the first brick by just simply qualifying in 1980, Betty Okino continued to pave the pathway but Domonique Dawes created the key which fully opened the door for African-American women in Gymnastics.

So this is my ode to you ‘Awesome Dawesome,’ thank you for inspiring a new generation of black excellence, black talent and pure black girl magic.