To start out, let’s talk about competitiveness. Olympic site for Paris 2024 artistic gymnastics competition, the Bercy Arena, will host Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos’s return to international competition for the first time since the Tokyo 2020 Games at the Internationaux de France on September 24 and 25.
M. De Jesus Dos Santos Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
De Jesus dos Santos returned to France after relocating to the United States in May. She has been working with Simone Biles’ instructors Cecile and Laurent Landi since 2017, and now trains at the facility owned by Biles’ family in Texas.
The move abroad was inspired by the twin goals of doing well at the home games and seeking new experiences.
“I know I could have done more,” said de Jesus dos Santos. After the Tokyo Olympics, where she was seen as one of France’s top gymnastics hopes, she felt compelled to make these changes. In the all-around competition, she placed 11th, on the uneven bars, she placed sixth, and on the team competition, she placed sixth.
The 21-year-old gymnast performed admirably, but the results were difficult to take for the four-time European champion (floor in 2018, all-around and floor in 2019, balance beam in 2021).
“When I took a step back, I realised it was very good for my first Olympics. I was let down by the fact that I should have done more but didn’t.
The Positive is that she Understands Why she couldn’t Fully Commit.
That was the first time I’d ever felt so much pressure, but I believe it was due to the high standards set for both my team and me. It was too much for me to take.
When I first started feeling the pain, it was all over my body,” said De Jesus Dos Santos.
Since Tokyo 2020, de Jesus dos Santos has taken a break from competition before beginning again.
Ten years after leaving her native island of Martinique for Saint-Etienne on the French mainland to learn gymnastics with Eric and Monique Hagard, Simone Biles has relocated to Spring, to the north of Houston, Texas, to join the World Champions Centre.
She assists French coaches Cécile and Laurent Landi in their endeavours there.
This is a Significant Change in her Life, as it Involves Relocating to a Foreign Country.
“I had a rough time adjusting at first because I didn’t know what to expect from living in this country. It is difficult to adjust to life in a foreign country where I do not speak the language or understand the customs of the locals. However, one of my greatest skills is the ability to change.
She also Learned a Novel Approach to Exercise.
It was 9:30am in France and 10:15am when we had school, but you start training at 7am here.
Similarly, the physical training was not the same. The number of repetitions we perform increases, but we don’t rush. At first, I was in agony all over, “She thought back to the first days of her training programme. “Somewhere in my body, I felt aches and pains I’d never experienced before. However, I found that it was very useful for a few activities.
