Cyril Tommasone (FRA)

Cyril is one of the best gymnasts in the French team. A few months ago he came back from World Championships with a bronze medal he won on pommel horse.

What made you start gymnastics?

My teacher noticed that I was talented for gymnastics when I was in school. She told my parents and they enrolled me into my local gym club in Chassieu (near Lyon). Then everything went very fast until I joined the National Team.

I felt in love with gymnastics because I loved to jump, handstands, trampoline, and get on the apparatus… It became my passion and now I can’t imagine my life without it!

What is a typical day like?

I get up each day at 9h to train from 10h to 12h30. Then I go back home to have lunch and rest a bit. After that I have a second training during the afternoon between 16h and 18h30.

What is your gymnastics’ best memory?

My best result is my world silver medal on pommel horse in 2011 in Tokyo. But my best memories are the Test-Event competition in London, and my bronze world medal I won on pommel horse in October.

Do you feel more pressure with a European Championships organized in France, with the French audience?

The 2012 European Championships was organized in France too and we felt a little bit more pressure. As the competition is taking place in our country, we want to do our best and succeed. When your crowd is supporting and cheering you… well it makes you feel a bit more nervous! What is important is to stay focus, forget about the audience, and turn the stress into motivation.

On pommel horse, European gymnasts are among the best (there was only one American gymnasts in the last world final in Nanning). So do you prepare an European Championships as you prepare a World one?

It doesn’t matter if the competition is world or European level, I train the same way. What is important is to succeed in doing my routine.

Thomas Bouhail about Cyril: