Bet (Facebook profile, 04 Apr 2018)

Athlete, Coach, Student, Waitperson

Gastronomy - University of Valencia: Spain

English, Spanish

Club Gimnasia Abetmar: Burjasot, ESP

Cristina Perez [club], ESP

She took up the sport at age three. She tried fitness and rhythmic gymnastics, but enjoyed aerobics the most.

Coach Cristina Perez started gymnastics lessons at her school and she was one of a number of students who registered. "My mother signed me up because my sister was already taking classes and she loved it. I started as a hobby, and was not good at competitions, but at age eight I won my first national championships in Spain and thought I could be good at it."

Winning gold in the individual competition at the 2017 European Championships in Ancona, Italy. (cadenaser.com, 01 May 2020)

Her mother. (cadenaser.com, 01 May 2019)

"I have learned that where there is a will, there is a way. That feeling pain is inevitable, that if you want something you must go for it, that the one who does not risk does not win and the one who risks does not lose anything. But, above all, I have learned that there is still a lot to learn." (Facebook page, 07 Aug 2017)

In 2018 she was named Best Female Gymnast of the Valencian Community in Spain at the Golsmedia Awards. (Facebook page, 31 Oct 2018; golsmedia.com, 29 Oct 2018)

In 2017 she received a 'Yo Soy Noticia' award for her contribution to sport in Comunidad Valenciana in Spain. (yosoynoticia.es, 06 Feb 2018; presidencia.gva.es, 05 Feb 2018)

CHANGE OF FOCUS
In 2021 she announced her retirement from individual events after admitting she had struggled with her mental health. "In the last few years, my head has not been quite right. I felt a lot of pressure and I was not enjoying it. I did the sport more for the expectation than for the joy, which has always been my goal. I decided to take care of me before it gets worse. I'm not leaving the sport at all. I'll be on the group team to have a good time and to enjoy myself again, without any pressure. I'll keep on training because this club [Club Gimnasia Abetmar] is my life and I would love to teach younger gymnasts." She says she began to feel greater pressure after triumphing in the individual event at the 2017 European Championships in Ancona, Italy. "I went to the competition without any expectations, to have fun, and after that gold medal I began to notice 100,000 eyes on me. I began to notice that a lot was expected of me, that if a World Cup event was coming up, they put pressure on you in preparation, and I've always done gymnastics to enjoy it." (yosoynoticia.es, 01 Aug 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 26 May 2022)