Exclusive Interview on His Career, Training, and Olympic Journey

Proust Questionnaire, Gymnastics Style

David Rumbutis comes from a family of gymnastics legends. His father, Sergei Rumbutis, represented both the Soviet Union and Lithuania at the world championships and is famous for his unique High Bar dismount, a triple salto forward rated G in the current Code of Points. Not to be outdone, his mother Sara has been active in the international gymnastics scene as a judge and FIG’s technical committee member.

His uncle and aunt were both Soviet gymnasts too; and finally, his two cousins, Oskar and Robert Kirmes, have represented Finland at major international competitions for years. The three cousins come from the same picturesque village in the North of Sweden called Älvsbyn, considered the “Pearl of Northern Sweden”.

As for David, he punched his ticket to the Tokyo Olympics at the young age of 19, showcasing his skills at the World Championships in Stuttgart in 2019. He also competed at the 2021 Worlds in Kitakyushu, but his vault didn’t quite go as planned. Despite feeling like a superhero mid-air during his Yurchenko triple twist, he dislocated his knee upon landing. In a bizarre turn of events, he found himself sitting on the podium, staring at his wayward knee, and feeling more frustrated than ever.

But with a quick and determined twist of his own, he managed to pop his knee back into place with his own hands. If there’s one thing David Rumbutis has proven, it’s that he’s not just a gymnast – he’s a true contortionist. These are the kind of antics that make his gymnastics truly unforgettable.

Unfortunately, in February 2023, he managed to find a new and exciting way to give his poor knee a hard time… that’s one way to take a scenic route to the Paris Olympics… David is now gearing up to show off his skills and compete for a coveted All-Around spot at the 2024 European Championships in Rimini.

When he’s not busy giving his knees a hard time and impressing the crowd with his impromptu surgical operations, he pulls off some seriously impressive triple backflips on the floor, nailing the landing. He sure can stoi and let’s hope his knee holds up better than usual.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

My idea of perfect happiness would be to spend time with friends and family collecting memories. Traveling and seeing what the world has to offer and just living without any stress

What is your greatest fear?

The fear of failure.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

In others I would have to say waste of potential. Because I don’t really mind if you’re cocky or a bit mean, as long as you use the potential that you have and show it. Of course there’s a limit to being mean to others.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

I think the way I can’t keep my cool if something goes bad, I’ve started to work a lot on it but it was a real mess years ago.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I think I would like to have confidence, I am not the most confident person meeting new people or having to speak in public.

When and where were you happiest?

I do believe I was the happiest when I was competing at the 2021 European Championships in Basel. I had a good time with my team, the competition was fun and I enjoyed being there.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

I had a rough time 2017 and 2018 where the two biggest competitions in my junior career took place. I had very good preparation weeks before these competitions and the meets we had before was immaculate. I was feeling very ready to finally show myself on the big stage.
During the competitions I just could not get the feeling I usually have, and it just went worse and worse and worse… I just could not get back up again.

These two failures had a significant toll on me, I started getting upset during training sessions and it took me some time to learn that it is okay to fail, but what is not okay is to fail and not go up and try again.

What is it that you most dislike?

I think it has got to be cold weather and slush, I have a hard time already getting warm during training sessions and the cold weather and slush isn’t helping at all.

What is your greatest regret?

One of my biggest regrets would be going all out and burning myself out just days before the Tokyo Olympics, which led to the worst outcome imaginable. If I could turn back time, I’d make sure to follow a proper training plan, give myself more relaxation and recovery time, and not push myself too hard every single day in the weeks leading up to the event and during the competition.

What would you do if you won 100 million dollars?

I would probably start my own gym with everything needed for a good career, travel and also I’d buy a house.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My most significant accomplishment to date would be my involvement in the 2019 World Championships, where I successfully qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, unbeknownst to me at the time that it was a qualifying event for the Olympics.
(Note: that’s quite interesting, knowing that I was in the stands in Stuttgart, calculating who was going to be qualified to the next Olympics and being happy to find out David had won his ticket… when he had no idea about it).

How would you like to die?

I guess a quick and painless death at an old age would be a good option? I’m quite scared of old age, not knowing if it will be either hard or painless.

Which gymnast do you most admire?

My two cousins from Finland, Oskar and Robert Kirmes.
Considering what they’ are’ve been going through, they’re still pushing themselves way beyond their limits with a smile on their faces, and it’s just amazing

What’s your favorite apparatus to do and/or to watch?

I enjoy doing all events when I’m doing good but the most fun I have would be on high bar. And I enjoy watching all of them but if I had to pick one, it would be high bar too

Which gymnastics competition do you have the best memory of?

The 2021 European Championships in Basel. It was a fun competition, maybe it didn’t go perfectly for me but there was a lot happening. I had my first all around final which was very fun

Who’s the funniest gymnast you know?

Without a doubt Kim Wanström! He just has this funny aura around him, doesn’t have to do anything but hes still funny!

What do you like best about gymnastics?

When you succeed, when you enjoy going to practice, meeting people from other countries and just having a really good time.

What do you dislike most about gymnastics?

Major injuries have to be the worst thing. I’ve found it out the hard way myself and I have to say that it really sucks because you really want to go back to the gym and just get better and better but the injuries don’t allow you.

Your next objective?

My next objective is the All Around at the 2024 European Championships in Rimini: it’s the last chance for me to qualify for the Paris Olympics. I now have routines with high difficulty on all events except on floor and vault, and very soon I will be the most ready I’ve ever been in my career, hungry for revenge and success.
For all information about the qualifications process for the Paris Olympics, please check this article

What do you want to do after you retire as a competing gymnast?

I want to start an elite group from young age and take them all the way as far as they can, like my father has done with me. I know it will be a long process and a lot of work but I feel like that’s something I would be good at and would enjoy.

The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions named after French writer Marcel Proust. It is believed that people reveal their true nature in answering these questions and it is often used in modern interviews. The questionnaire has been adapted to fit the world of artistic gymnastics.

References:
FIG David Rumbutis Profile
2019 World Championships Qualifications Scores