Inspiring Gymnast Anthony Mansard: Unlocking the Gym

Interview with Anthony Mansard, the rising star of French Gymnastics

From the shores of La Réunion to the competitive arena, Anthony Mansard’s trajectory in gymnastics has been nothing short of meteoric. A junior European champion, he’s already made waves in his senior debut, clinching a bronze medal in Leipzig. Now, he sets his sights on Jakarta 2025, Chengdu 2026, and, ultimately, the Olympic Games. Anthony says it all: this is just the beginning.

Bio Facts

Anthony Mansard was born on December 6, 2006 in the Paris Region, but grew up in La Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean. He started artistic gymnastics when he was 3 years old and was coached by Renaud Clermont at the Saint-Gym Réunion Club. When he was 10 years old, he was sent back to Europe to train in Antibes, one of the main MAG clubs in France.

Feeling alone and dispossessed, he credits the crucial support of his foster family for preventing him from abandoning the sport. He acknowledges the challenges of adapting to life in southeastern France at a young age, far from his beloved Réunion Island, where he spent his early childhood. However, these sacrifices have been validated by his recent accomplishments.

In the junior category, the French gymnast distinguished himself at the 2022 Junior European Championships, where he secured silver on floor as well as in the team event. The same year, at the age of merely 16, he attained the title of French champion on the horizontal bar and also achieved victory in the junior all-around competition.

In 2024, Anthony Mansard became the junior European champion in the all-around and on the high bar. He added a silver medal on floor and parallel bars, as well as a bronze medal in the team event. At the French Nationals (U18), he won the all-around and three individual medals (floor, parallel bars, and rings).

In his first year as a senior, he won silver in the all-around at the French Nationals in Agen. At just 18 years old, he participated in his first European Senior Championships in Leipzig, where he won the bronze medal on the high bar and finished 4th in the all around.

Anthony puts in about 30 hours of training each week, which adds up to around 6 hours a day. His journey to the top of his sport has been all about hard work and practice. Back in Antibes, he got lucky and was taken under the wing of Philippe Carmona, who started coaching him when he was just ten, helping him polish a talent that was just waiting to burst out. Now the French gymnast all set to compete at the 2025 World Championships in Jakarta, and he’s keeping an eye on big upcoming events like the 2026 and 2027 World Championships, which are the first steps towards qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Gymnastics, Career and Objectives

When and how did you start gymnastics? And above all, why did you continue?

I started gymnastics at the age of 3 thanks to my mother who enrolled me in this sport because she absolutely wanted me to do something. And I continued because over the years my gymnastics career improved, so I always wanted to see how far I could go, but I also continued because an objective took shape in my mind, namely the Olympic Games, like every athlete, I think.

At what age did you decide to continue to elite?

Well, I didn’t really “decide,” it was a logical process, and it was at the age of 10 that I moved into the elite category.

Which gymnast do you admire the most?

Kohei Uchimura, like most gymnasts, I think, haha

Since 2024 and your gold medal in the All-Around at the Jr European Championships, you’ve been racking up successes, and your first year as a senior has started rather well. How do you manage this new “celebrity”?

I don’t really take it as celebrity, but I just continue to do my gymnastics career normally and see how it goes. Moreover, the transition between junior and senior didn’t really feel like much on my part since I already knew the seniors from when I was a junior, and also I train with them.

What does it feel like to embody the hope of French Men’s Artistic Gymnastics at the international level?

Honestly, it’s incredible because in international competition, you know that you represent your country, so it also represents a great pride.

Now that you compete internationally, have you noticed a sense of camaraderie among gymnasts beyond the competition? Do you share your experience with foreign gymnasts? Who are your new “friends”?

Yes, since my international competitions, I’ve met a lot of people that I admire or who have become “friends” as you say, and that’s also what makes the competitions great because you see gymnasts that you like to be around, and I can also watch and enjoy their gymnastics.

Have you met your gymnastics idols? If yes, what happened?

I don’t know if I really have idols, but I admit that seeing Asian gymnasts, especially, makes me understand that their gymnastics quality is just incredible. I had seen them at the Junior World Championships, and I was really surprised then.

What is your favorite apparatus to do and/or to watch?

It’s not really my favorite apparatus, but I’d say I’m more comfortable on the horizontal bar, and to watch, I’d also say the horizontal bar because I think it’s the most satisfying apparatus to watch.

Which element are you most proud of? (Because it’s difficult or because it took you a long time to master it)

I must say that successfully performing the Cassina on the horizontal bar is a real satisfaction, since it’s never a given. Also, nailing the Chukarin (Adler and 1/1 t. through hdst. in ungr.) is super satisfying when you pull it off just right.

Many gymnasts have taken advantage of the changes in the Code of Points and the upgrade of certain elements (particularly on floor, parallel bars, and horizontal bar) to rework their routines and improve their difficulty score: will you go in this direction in the short or medium term and include G/H elements in your exercises?

Well, on the horizontal bar, it’s already done, I’ve increased my difficulty. On the parallel bars, I haven’t added any elements yet, even though I perform E/F/G elements, they are not yet mastered, and on floor, I’ve just regained my previous level because I’m coming back from an injury to both ankles, so it was a bit complicated.

You are the king of the stoi (stuck landing): is it an innate talent, or do you have a secret training to accumulate bonuses?

I don’t think it’s an innate talent, but just when I do a dismount, there are moments when I feel like I’m going to stick the landing (a bit like a sixth sense like Spiderman ha ha), and in training, you should know that I don’t leave the apparatus without having stuck at least once.

What gymnastics competition do you have the best memory of?

My best memory will undoubtedly remain the Junior European Championships in Rimini where I spent the best week of my life (at least for the moment).

Which gymnast(s) do you feel particularly close to, in terms of careers, paths, and evolution?

There was a period when I felt particularly close to Benjamin Osberger because he kept getting fourth place (European Championships, World Championships) just like me, because from 2022 to 2023, whether it was my first Junior European Championships, my first FOJE (Festival of European Youth) or even my first Junior World Championships, I finished in 4th place.

Who is the funniest gymnast you know?

The funniest gymnast I know is simply my best friend, Rubens Borges Correia.

What do you like most about gymnastics?

The adrenaline that builds in your body during international competitions, and especially hearing the crowd scream after performing the best movement of your life.

What do you dislike most about gymnastics?

The pain, I hate being injured (like every gymnast, I think).

If you could eliminate one apparatus, which one would it be?

The rings, without hesitation.

And if you could add one, which one would you take? Tumbling, trampoline, uneven bars, flying rings, rhythmic gymnastics, other?

I think the trampoline must be something fun.

What is your next goal?

The World Championships in Jakarta.

Have you ever wanted to quit everything and go back to a “normal” life (going out, having fun, etc…)?

Yes, especially at the beginning when I arrived at the Pôle France Training Center, and therefore in a host family.

What would you like to do after you retire from competition?

I don’t have any ideas yet, but when I was younger, I wanted to be a veterinarian or an animal care assistant, but with gymnastics, it’s a bit complicated.

Anthony Mansard Unfiltered

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

My happiness is already represented by my current life, doing my gymnastics with my loved ones, who follow me in my adventures. Beyond that, my happiness would be truly perfect with a few European, World, or Olympic medals.

What is your greatest fear?

I admit that spiders don’t make me feel very comfortable.

What is the trait you deplore most in yourself?

Perfectionism.

What is the trait you deplore most in others?

I don’t like people who act like they’re important or those who are jealous.

What talent would you most like to have?

Natural strength.

When and where were you happiest?

I think during the Junior European Championships in 2024, but also when I won that bronze medal on the horizontal bar at the European Championships in 2025, since the day before I was 4th in the all-around, so I was extremely frustrated.

What do you hate the most?

Waiting for something; I’m not very patient.

What is your biggest regret?

I have no regrets in my life; I am fortunate to be surrounded by many wonderful people.

What would you do if you won 100 million euros?

I would keep them and use them when I really need them.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

The year 2024 in all its splendor.

How would you like to die?

Of old age, if possible.

International Results

Anthony Mansard’s Results

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