El gran salto

Most people only know about me that I won two Olympic golds and one silver in gymnastics and that they took a world medal from me for a joint, but very few know the price I paid for the glory and all that I suffered before and after my retreat. They don't know that to build the Olympic champion Gervasio Deferr I had to become a killer and lock Gervi, my other self, in the basement; that when I left the arena, alcohol flooded my life until I asked for help so as not to drown in it for good; that many only see the medals, but not the person who suffers like anyone else and who is subjected to the pressure of risking everything or nothing in one minute every four years. And that, after twenty-five years dedicating myself body and soul to gymnastics, I had to start from scratch, like so many other minority sports colleagues. Almost ten years after getting off the podium I found my place in the world and I did it in La Mina, one of the most stigmatized neighborhoods in Spain. Exorcising the ghost of suicide and having made peace with myself and with the people I really cared about, gymnastics restored my lost balance. Here I am, without filters or sweeteners, this is my truth.