In 2017, during her first European Championships, she became the first French woman to win a title on this apparatus, before going through a long period of doubts, between injuries, failures and changes of coaches.

She had to wait five years to confirm her potential by winning her first world medal, bronze, at the Worlds in Liverpool last fall.

She has since maintained her good form on her favourite apparatus, winning two World Cup stages in March, in Doha and Baku.

"I'm going to these European Championships with what I have in my backpack and we'll see what I come out of it. (But) I'm going there to get my title back, that's for sure," the 22-year-old gymnast said.

In Antalya, she will have to face the Hungarian Zsofia Kovacs, reigning European champion, the Belgian Lisa Vaelen or the British Jessica Gadirova.

Learning to run

And to aim for a new coronation, the momentum race, which she worked with former athlete Ladji Doucouré, will be key.

France's Coline Devillard before starting in the jump final of the 2022 World Championships on October 30, 2022 in Liverpool © Paul ELLIS / AFP/Archives

"That's all I think about!" exclaims the 22-year-old gymnast, sitting cross-legged on the jumping table at Insep.

"From the springboard and the table, I know how to do it. I've done it so much that normally it's easy. But during the whole race, I only think about (the momentum race). If I know I'm running well, I can manage."

It was her failure at the 2021 World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, where she failed to get out of qualifying, that led to this collaboration with the 2005 110m hurdles world champion.

"I was ready at these Worlds and in the end I didn't do what I wanted to do so there was necessarily something wrong," she said. "So I searched ... and I went to see him (at Insep). He just taught me how to run, which is already very hard!"

Result: like a long jumper or a pole vaulter, she makes her mark on the track. Twenty-four meters for the first jump, 24.50 m for the second.

"On the first one, I run with my head down for the first two meters," she describes. "After I get up, I tap on the springboard, then moon, spin and a half and if everything goes well, I pile the reception. Unbelievable!"

- "Hop, hop, hop!"

"In the meantime I go back to the end of the track, I put on my wrist guards, very important, because if I forget, it's not possible. Hyper straight race, startle-flip-double spin and I give myself a small step at the reception because you must not be too greedy!"

France's Coline Devillard during the 2019 European Championships on April 13, 2019 in Szczecin (Poland) © Janek SKARZYNSKI / AFP/Archives

"It's two completely different techniques," she continues. On the second, I just have to be straight, raise my knees thoroughly, hop hop hop! (...) If I do the same race on the first and second, I think I arrive head first in the table."

In Turkey, Les Bleues' stated objective will be to obtain a top 5 team as well as four finals and two individual medals.

To reach this total, they will also be able to count on Marine Boyer, fourth on beam at the last World Championships.

On the other hand, the bridgehead of French gymnastics Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos is left to rest, a few months after undergoing knee surgery.

On the men's side, the priority will be to qualify the group for the 2023 World Championships, which will themselves be selective for the Paris Olympics in less than 500 days.

© 2023 AFP