Euro gymnastics: "I had a lot of questioning", admits Marine Boyer

QUESTION: Going into the European Championships, did you digest the disappointment of your fourth-place finish at the Worlds five months ago?

ANSWER: "Anyway, that's all there is to it, digest. It was hard because you know you had a place on the podium, if not more. But hey, you have to be ready at that time. So me (what I have to do) is to prepare myself even better, to be ready to raise my hand and show everything I have to do. Work physically and mentally to ask no questions. I learn every day how to manage that, in training and in competition. That's why I'm doing the same, it's to help me be ready, already at the European Championships, and then there are the World Championships at the end of the year and then behind it will be Paris (the 2024 Olympics)."

Q: Will mental preparation be your main focus for the Olympics?

A: "In truth, I don't have too many things to change until Paris so yes I only have that to work, especially since it's the last little details that will make me have the medal or not. So it's very important. I work on precision, on perfection, on the small detail, on the keywords I can have when I raise my hand. Not thinking, going for tat... Lots of little details that will make me get the medal."

Q: Have you been hesitant to continue your career until the Games?

A: "I had a lot of questioning after the Tokyo Games. I wondered if it was a good idea (to continue) or if I wasn't going into the wall by resuming. And, in the end, it's going well, I try to trust myself more and more, it's not easy in a sport where you are judged all day long. (If the Olympics hadn't been held in Paris) I think I would have asked myself the question. But Covid is only three years ago, so I thought it was going to be fast. Really, God sent me a message to tell me that I had to do Paris (laughs) and I knew that physically, I could hold on. I just needed someone to help me mentally to manage my emotions. And on top of that, competing in three Games for a gymnast is a great challenge."

Interview by Diane FALCONER

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