US gymnast Gabby Douglas has apologised for failing to put her hand on her heart during the American national anthem at an Olympic gold medal ceremony.
As her four teammates -- Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez -- stood at full attention with their hands over their hearts, Douglas looked almost dejected with her hands casually in front of her.
Her behaviour on the podium sparked a Twitter backlash.
"In response to a few tweets I saw tonight, I always stand at attention out of respect for our country whenever the national anthem is played," Douglas responded on Twitter.
"I never meant any disrespect and apologize if I offended anyone. I'm so overwhelmed at what our team accomplished today and overjoyed that we were able to bring home another gold for our country!"
The first African-American to win all-around gold, Douglas's title defence ended on Sunday when she failed to advance to Thursday night's final.
She took a third Olympic gold on Tuesday when the US women defended their team title, and could claim another medal in Sunday's uneven bars final.
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