María Añó (Benicarló, 2002) became one of the most promising gymnasts of her generation. Five times champion Spain individual and five-time champion of Spain in sets. He was among the top ten club experts at the 2019 Baku European Championship. Now she’s studying finance and while gymnastics is still her life, in very different ways. To EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA, an abusive athlete from the Prensa Ibérica group, he told EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA, “Sometimes I think… Wow, look where I am! From his coach over the years.
In December 2022, the Sports Administrative Court (TAD) decided in favor of it.. Approved the sanction of the Royal Gymnastics Federation of Spain disqualifying the trainer from positions in the sports organization and withdrawing his federative license. María Añó was right, and the silent scream she had emitted for years calmed down for a moment. Among the many medals worn at home are also memories of insults. (“crazy”, “fat”, “cellulite”) and abuses (“We ate tonic water”, “They used to come at us in exercises”, “They accused me of indiscipline”). But also tremendous pride in being among the best in highly competitive disciplines.
‘Mad’ and ‘lawless’
“What would have happened to me if they had treated me differently…” Añó explains, during the course of the investigation—and even after the sentence became clear—he was endured by his club (Mabel de Benicarló) and his wife. former coaches made comments that sought to discredit her, assuring them that the gymnast who had given them so much success was “undisciplined”. “My résumé is as it is,” reassures her of the deep maturity that experience has given her, “even though they try to create fake profiles.”
When the gymnast was only three years old, she stepped on a tapestry for the first time. “Things start to go wrong when I realize they don’t stop disrespecting me, calling me ‘stupid’, ‘crazy’, ‘anarchic’, ‘fat’… They wrote to my mother that I urgently needed a psychologist to deal with the pressure. Education And yes, I needed it, but it was my salvation. It makes me see that all this is not normal,” recalls María.
“We ate tonic at the 2016 European Championships because the coach introduced the Russian and Israeli gymnastics methods.. At the 2018 World Cup, the new coach told us we were dead,” recalls Añó, who came to look fat when I was 38lbs. , because they’re going to think I’m getting fat and they’re going to punish me,” I thought.
The corrections they received in training were extreme. “We didn’t drink, they forced me to climb stairs without stopping, they squatted, when we couldn’t, they forced us to copy the corrections, they climbed on our feet… We cried in pain. We all understand that elite sport is quite demanding, but it wasn’t. We were a group of crying girls. Beginning to be recognized as an athlete who could mark an era in national rhythms, Añó bordered on this sadism,” he accuses. And he did so during his time in the front row.
Maria was sure that better days would come. “It was the only club in my city. I was about to leave, but they invited me to the World Cup and I decided to wait and see if things calmed down,” says one athlete who eventually moved to a new team. that does not prevent it from continuing under the orbit and shadow of its exploiters., because I kept seeing them in competitions. “When I said goodbye, I said so many beautiful words. I loved them so much. I was a little girl who thought to put up with what they said to me. You finally believed they were right. But it was. It’s like a toxic relationship,” explains Añó.
recovery phase
He arrived at Club Ritmo de León with fear in his backpack. “I realized that I was generalizing to all of two-person rhythmic gymnastics. A world of great people who make sure you enjoy the process whether you finish third or eighth.. Without the fury of this century. They never congratulated me”, bitterly recalls one person who was regaining her smile, faded from physical and mental exhaustion.
“My character has cooled, but gradually, with the help of my friends, colleagues, and professionals, I once again realized the value and everything I have in front of my wonderful 20 years,” he admits, signifying the change of mind. you adopted Añó makes up for lost time, “Since I don’t have a social life, I got up, went to school, and trained.. When I started high school, I had to start the online route.”
María Añó stopped its orbit in place. It was necessary”so that no girl will experience the same, because the road to success should never involve the things I have endured”. They will fire me”.You will not experience what I have suffered, neither in sports nor in life.. They need to know that they are not alone. Not all will qualify for professional gymnastics, but not all will qualify as coaches.”