• Kevin Crovetto started gymnastics at age 8 in Monaco.

  • A high-level gymnast, he participated in the Rio Olympics in 2016 and hopes to relive that experience this year, in Tokyo, by securing a place at the European Championships in Basel.

With the health crisis linked to Covid-19, the gymnastics events to qualify for the Olympics were canceled for a year.

A context that has limited the possibilities for athletes to participate in the competition that will take place this summer in Tokyo.

The European Championships which begin Wednesday in Basel, Switzerland, are therefore the last chance for Kevin Crovetto, a Monegasque gymnast, to hope to live this experience for the second time, after the Rio Olympics in 2016. He returns with

20 Minutes

on this challenge that he is ready to take up.

How do you feel on the eve of a decisive competition like this?

Obviously, there is a little stress because with the Covid-19, there was a big cut.

Three weeks ago, I still had the chance to participate, as a team, in the Top 12 and get back into the competitive atmosphere.

Usually there are two or three events every month, so after that one-year hiatus, the Top 12 was a good way to gauge myself and prepare for the European Championships in Basel.

It was a good comeback in this universe.

Today I feel ready.

I will transform this little apprehension to transcend myself during this challenge.

What are the challenges of these championships for your career?

The championships in Stuttgart in 2019 were also an opportunity to qualify.

I was coming back from an injury so I wasn't 100%.

Now there are two places left to relive the incredible experience I already had in Rio in 2016. But the level is very high.

You have to be in one of the top two gymnasts in Europe, knowing that the European championship is one of the best in the world, it will be very complicated, even mission impossible.

But I will do everything to get there because I am lucky to be able to participate.

For the moment, I remain focused on this competition and I can't wait to show what I can do and what I have prepared.

What did your preparation consist of?

I train every day, 50 out of 52 weeks every year.

In general, it is 25 hours per week, either twice daily or all day.

I alternate with muscle strengthening, repetitions of basic elements and new movements.

To be at the top level, it's hard work, impeccable hygiene, so a lot of sacrifices when you're 28 years old.

But when you have the opportunity to do a job you love, you feel privileged.

I live from my sport, I don't feel like I'm working so I give my best.

I have had this spirit of conqueror since I was immersed in this universe, for twenty years now.

What's next for you if you don't get the ticket to Tokyo?

I'm already lucky to be able to do the championships, so I take what I have.

In any case, the Olympic Games are a competition that must be prepared at least eight years in advance.

As soon as the competition ends, I will work for the next Olympic cycle [the 2024 Olympics].

I will still take a little break and then go back fully because all these events are quite intense to live.

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  • Olympic Games

  • Gymnastic

  • Europe championship

  • Monaco

  • Nice

  • Sport