The French Gymnastics Federation posted a short interview with Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos after her successful performance.
Translation from French by K. Chevallier.
Q: Mélanie, you came back from Doha with two medals, a gold on balance beam and a bronze on uneven bars. How did you experience this competition?
A: It was a great competition with a good atmosphere. I was very happy to take the first place on beam. It was great to share the podium with Marine (Boyer) and to hear the first Marseillaise of the year! On bars, this bronze medal is also a good result since there was increased competition on this apparatus, especially with the European champion, Nina Derwael and the other girls who performed difficult routines too. All I wanted was to do my routine well, the medal was the bonus! It was a great World Cup competition.
Q: What are your next international competitions?
A: I’m going to Tokyo for another World Cup competition. I have to hit all my routines to do as well as I did in Doha, or even better. Then, there will be the national championships, potentially European Championships in Glasgow, then the World Cup Challenge in Paris and World Championships in Doha.
Q: You are on the poster cover of the 2018 Paris World Cup Challenge. What are your memories from the 2017 edition?
A: I have great memories from this competition. There was the best atmosphere I’ve ever known inside a gymnastics center! I’m happy to be on the poster cover this year. My goal is to win a medal on bars to at least do as well as I did in 2017!
Q: Who would you like to see as competitors in Paris?
A: I’d like the Japanese and Americans gymnasts to take part in the competition so they would see that in France too, there’s a great atmosphere in a gymnastics center. The World Cup Challenge is a very beautiful competition. Thank you to the audience for all of its support.
