Marta Pihan-Kulesza has a very exciting event coming up – for the first time ever, her home town of Szczecin will host a major gymnastics competition. She has been heavily involved in the promotion of the upcoming European Championships and gave an interview to the local organizers
Anna Kosieradzka of Gimnastycy.pl translated the interview.
Q: Last week, you competed in the Open Austria Championships in Linz, are you satisfied [with your performance]?
A: Yes, I’m especially happy with how I did on three events. I had good performances on vault, beam and floor. I wasn’t quite confident on bars yet, this routine wasn’t ready, I didn’t finish it at the competition, but I’m happy with the rest. I got good scores, and this is a good sign a month before the European Championships.
Q: For Polish athletes, these championships will be special, in front of a home crowd, probably even more so for you as a Szczecin native. How are you approaching this competition?
A: I never expected such a big competition to come to Szczecin, but I think it’s one of the best choices in terms of Polish cities to hold a gymnastics competition. About the home crowd, there will be butterflies, but it’s okay. It’s additional motivation for me. Honestly, I’m not fully sure what to expect. For now, my husband and I, since we are 90% sure he’ll qualify too, [translator note: he did], we’re really excited. I see it’s very motivating for him in his preparations, the sole fact that there will be people who know us, who have supported us for years, members of our club. When Polish championships were held here, I didn’t feel more stress. I hope
Q: Are you preparing any new skills, or are you doing routines you have perfected earlier?
A: Most skills [are the ones] I’ve worked on before. It’s a bit of a return to the more difficult routines that I was preparing for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. But, since I did not get to compete there, maybe it will work out now in Szczecin.
Q: What are your goals for Euros? Would repeating you fourth place from 2014 or the fifth from 2015 be satisfying?
A: The goal is primarily to make the final, and then the fight for a medal. For every competition I go to, that’s my goal. It can’t be any different, regardless of whether they are Polish or world championships. We’ll see what happens. I won’t deny that I dream of a European medal. I was so close in 2014.
Q: Did medalling at the World Cup in Cottbus, in November 2018, give you more confidence and motivation?
A: I did not expect to medal there. The competition was stacked. There were World and European champions. I just went, did my job and it was very good. I also worked on the mental side at the time. For this competition, my husband and daughter came to the finals. It also helped.
Q: Where else will you test yourself before Euros?
A: In two weeks, I am competing at the World Cup in Qatar and this will be the main test before the competition in Szczecin. All events are important because in Szczecin I will fight in the all-around.
Photo: LOC, 2019 European Championships in Artistic Gymnastics
After her last WC showing, she has a legitimate shot at a medal! Here’s to hoping the Moms competing bring home medals! Cheers from the U.S!