Cintia Rodríguez of Spain appeared on Radio Marca where she talked about her career, winning two medals at the Szombathely Challenge Cup and preparing for the Tokyo Olympics. The interview was translated for Gymnvosti by Pedro C.
Q: Cintia, do you already have your goals for the World Championships and the Olympics or you see gymnastics as a way of life and not a job?
A: The truth is that this is my fifth World Championships but I don’t know where the circumstances and the luck and the work will take me.
Q: Luck… Every time you refer to luck I think a about injuries since gymnastics is a sport with so many of them!
A: Yes, I thought about that kind of luck. But I don’t know if injuries are good or bad luck since “what doesn’t kill makes you stronger” and my injury just made me stronger. I already have gotten five surgeries on my knee.
Q: Yes, you work a lot… and it doesn’t seem true that at the end of this month we will have the WC. You were working the entire year and the 25th October is here, Doha is here. Does this give you any anxiety?
A: No! The truth is that I am really emotional, first I am going to a side of the world that I haven’t visited yet and it’s always awesome to travel to World Championships, so it’s like killing two birds with one shot.
Q: How was the world cup in Hungary? [laughs] I don’t know how to say the name of the city, English is hard for me, but Hungarian is much worse…
A: Yes, I am really happy with the result it was much better than what I could expect because I competed with fever and in pain… But I competed and qualified to the final and on Sunday, I already felt a bit better because I was taking antibiotics and, well, in the end, I won those two medals.
Q: Yes, on bars and floor. But I am asking to myself how did you compete because we all know how fever and that pain is, like you can’t even move, how did you compete? And how did you win two silver medals on two different events? Is there any kind if mental work to control those situations?
A: Well, I think that I always had that strength and even if I was injured or I had a fever life still had to move on. And I was at the World Cup and it doesn’t happen every day, and that was my chance and I couldn’t let it go.
Q: Now we have the World Championships coming but are you already working towards the Olympics? Since in this sport, we always must work for a further goal.
A: Well, yes, I believe that since the games in Rio ended we started to prepare for Tokyo. We have four years of really hard work and I would say not only four years but the entire life. And so, Doha is important because we need to make the top 24 [as a team], and that is not going to be easy, but we are focused and have the goal in our minds.
Q: Since you were so close to making it to Rio, have you learned something or defined your goals in a more objective way?
A: No, I think the goal is always to reach the Olympics and eventually be stronger and stronger and not to fail like we did 2 years ago.
Q: In November you will turn 24. So, is this idea that gymnasts are all girls/teens ending?
A: Yes, I think it’s really changing, nowadays the teams have more veterans, the number of gymnasts over 20 is higher than those who are younger. That shows that gymnastics is now a sport with longevity and not a sport where you retire fast.
Q: True, on the male side, we always had older gymnasts, and now we are just showing that older girls can also compete at the elite level. So, you are a college student, you are studying criminology, right?
A: Yes, I started last year, in the college close to my gym, since it’s the best way to combine the two. And I think that with organization and help of everyone we can do both.
Q: Why criminology? Did you watch too much CSI when you were younger?
A: To be honest yes, I’ve always loved that series and I hope to one day become a police officer, but I don’t know if I will get there. I saw the degree, I liked it and I applied for it. So far it is going well.
Q: Is that because in Spain no one can live off gymnastics?
A: Well the truth is that I am 23 years old and gymnastics doesn’t give me that much money, I can’t wait for the cash, I have stuff to pay for, so I need to study, learn more so I can work and make my money.
Q: Yes, you study at the university, but you also work as a coach, right?
A: Yes, I train in the morning and during the afternoon I coach young girls.
Q: And how it is like to work with them? Do they like that their coach is a world-class gymnast? Do they watch you when you go to World Cups?
A: Yes, they really love it and always send me pictures of them watching and the truth is that makes me proud because I work with them every day, knowing that I am getting far, and they are watching me… I don’t know… it’s just an extra motivation.
Q: Since we are talking about young girls, a kid Alma as sent us a couple of questions for you to answer.
Alma: Hi, my name is Alma and today I will make you a couple of questions. What is your favourite colour?
A: Black.
Alma: And favourite food?
A: I would say all of them [laughs].
Alma: When you were young what did you wanted to become?
A: Police office.
Alma: What was your favorite subject in school?
A: Physical Education.
Alma: And the least favourite?
A: Math.
Alma: Do you still have any friends from your first years of school?
A: No.
Alma: Do you know any songs from your childhood? And can you sing it?
A: No no no no, I don’t know any [laughs].
Alma: Do you have a nickname?
A: no, I’ve always been just Cintia.
Alma: Do you have a lucky talisman?
A: Yes, I’ve had one for 20 years, it’s a dog.
Alma: How did you start your sport?
A: I watched my older sister doing it and I told my mother I wanted to do it as well.
Alma: How old were you?
A: 3 years old.
Alma: How did you study and train at the same time?
A: Well, at first I was in a school and then I switched to the one that was meant for athletes, so I could train in the morning and afternoon.
Alma: Have you practiced any other sports?
A: No.
Alma: How old were you at your first competition?
A: Well, at the national level I was 8, but at my first international one I was 15.
Alma: Who was your idol?
A: Catalina Ponor.
Alma: Have you already fulfilled any of your childhood dreams?
A: Yes, going to World championships and I already did it 4 times.
Alma: Which dream you still want to accomplish?
A: To go to the Olympics.
Q: Do you consider your trainer your father in sports?
A: As I always said my coach is the man of my life, I’ve been working with him since I was 6. And I am with him 24 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Q: [another call] Hello, the man of Cintia’s life! How are you? [the caller is Pedro Mir, Cintia’s coach] Why does she call you that? Is it because you punish her, is it because you teach her a lot? Why is it, Pedro?
Pedro: I am very surprised I didn’t know I was the man of her life [laughs].
Q: Cintia, why do you call him that?
A: Well he taught me everything inside and outside of the gym. I grew up with him and I think I am who I am because of him.
Q: Pedro, is she hard to work with?
Pedro: No, I believe Cintia is the gymnast that loves gymnastics the most, so she does everything with love, she is easy to work with.
Q: What do you like the least about her?
Pedro: Sometimes the lack of confidence, when she says she can’t do it.
Q: Cintia, which apparatus makes you feel most comfortable?
A: Well, this season I love floor, but usually I love beam.
Q: Pedro, does she have any weaknesses?
Pedro: No she is very strong and she has an incredible elegance for the bars and balance for the beam. So because of her knee and her age, I would say vault, but we are working on it, and upgrading the difficulty.
Q: Pedro, can we dream about success in Doha? And Tokyo?
Pedro: I am sure we will be top 24 at these Championships, and next year we will be there fighting for our spot. And for sure, if this doesn’t happen we will fight for our individual spot. But I am confident about the chances of going to the Olympics.
Photo: AraBalears
