From our special correspondent in Tokyo,
She dreamed of a historic medal for French gymnastics. A little too much, perhaps. Mélanie Jesus Dos Santos (21), European champion of the discipline in 2019, took only 11th place in the individual all-around at the Tokyo Olympics, this Thursday, just ahead of the other Frenchwoman, Carolann Heduit. With honesty, she debriefs this complicated evening – and gives her feelings on the great absent, Simone Biles.
Its competition
“I am enormously disappointed with myself, I could have done a lot better but I was overcome by stress. There was a big stake, that of taking 3rd place, it was important for me so I put a little too much pressure on myself and I couldn’t manage. I felt it from the start, I did not warm up properly, suddenly it stressed me even more and I did not manage to pull myself together before my first visit [aux barres asymétriques]. So it was a bit messy, and then it was complicated to get back into it. But I held on well, I didn’t fall, I can be proud of myself for that. “
A good lesson
“Unfortunately, it had happened to me before at the world championships, where I could have gone for a medal and I missed it. The hardest thing for me is to keep the same mindset throughout a competition. By team, Tuesday (France finished 6th), I felt better, it was more fun, I felt a lot less stress. I have to work on this aspect even more, I will come back stronger. I can still officially say that I am an Olympic gymnast. “
Simone biles
” It is complicated. Simone, this is not a robot or a machine. Her pressure is all the time, and not just in the gym. it was too much, she preferred to withdraw and I think it is a very good choice on her part. She wanted to take care of her health. I admire his choice because it is not easy to give up the Games. This is what we have all been waiting for for years. But she did well. “