“We thought we could trust our leaders, but it was poorly managed,” confessed the French gymnastics trio of Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, Coline Devillard, and Marine Boyer, pulling back the curtain on last year’s bitter showdown with the French federation. The home-ground disappointment, an 11th-place finish at the Olympics where they failed to make the final, was branded a disaster, but it seems that was only the tip of the iceberg. The rabbit hole runs far deeper and darker, with multiple individuals involved in the fall, and the federation’s response has been anything but measured, with statements dripping in tension and defiance.

Addressing the recent fallouts, the French federation’s performance director, Christophe Lambert, recently spoke out, going on the offensive against gymnasts who defy the rules: “Everyone knows we are facing a particular situation, which I won’t go into again. The sometimes aggressive attitude or the more or less direct insinuations made by certain figures in gymnastics towards the Federation and/or the National Technical Directorate are regrettable. The Federation places ethics at the heart of its mission and promotes the development of all its members.” 

So, what actually happened? “Basically, it all started with Kaylia. Poor thing, it wasn’t her fault” said the trio when asked about their discontent with the French federation. Born and brought up in Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt, France, Kaylia Nemour decided to compete for her father’s country, Algeria, after a conflict between the French Federation and her home gym of Avoine-Beaumont Gymnastique.

Following a long dispute with the federation over training locations, coupled with another dispute over a growth spurt injury, amidst other allegations, she was eventually released and became an Olympic champion for Algeria on uneven bars. Last month, at the World Champs in Indonesia, she also won gold on uneven bars again and silver on the balance beam.

As per the three gymnasts, Nemour also denounced the toxic methods of her coaches, Marc and Gina Chirilcenco, which compounded the standoff that’s been going on between the federation and the gymnasts. Devillard said the freezing out of Nemour, the strongest gymnast France had produced in years, affected them all: “The Federation has chosen the wrong battle.”

Boyer then added, “We have no problem with Kaylia; we always wanted her on the French team. We thought we could trust our leaders, but it was poorly managed and it affected us. We felt like pawns who couldn’t do anything except perform and keep quiet.” 

The trio added that their former coach, Dumitru “Nellu” Pop, who had protected them from all the outside noise, was suspended over a false accusation in March 2024, worsening the situation. “Political issues, money, and power struggles that are beyond our control, even though we were the ones in charge and should have been the priority,” said the trio. Adding to their frustration, Devillard sustained a stress fracture that was kept under wraps.

Although Pop has since been cleared, the damage was already done. “I was deprived of the person I trusted implicitly, the person with whom I dreamed of experiencing the Games after working with him for years,” said Devillard.

Before the Nemour’s exit, the French team were on the rise, even securing World Championship team bronze in 2023. But after the fallout that culminated with their disappointment the Paris Olympics, the France’s golden trio retreated from gymnastics, the fight zapped out of them. But at the same time, they were offered no support by their federation. In their later confession, they revealed the toll that the entire ordeal took on them.

“We were broken, drained mentally and physically,” said Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, Coline Devillard, and Marine Boyer

Without Pop, the first Olympic selection test was postponed. The senior gymnasts at INSEP were suddenly without coaches. “The National Technical Director (Kevinn Rabaud) said it wasn’t serious, that our tears were just an act. But that’s not true,” said Boyer. Devillard endured a stress fracture on her left tibia, a fact that was kept hidden from the world.

“It was frightening for the coaches and management, but the girls weren’t worried, they had faith in me,” revealed Boyer. “They knew that with two broken legs, I would have done my job for the team. But, as for an individual performance, I understood that it was over.” Going from medal contender to just a teammate was brutal. “I couldn’t lose everything, I wasn’t ready to admit it. We were broken, drained mentally and physically.”

Coline wasn’t the only one struggling behind the scenes. Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos suffered a panic attack while on the bus to Bercy, though she kept it to herself. Meanwhile, Marine Boyer, who had just returned from a trip to Réunion Island to bid farewell to her godmother, endured a harsh fall from the uneven bars during warm-up. “It didn’t help, but it wasn’t the trigger either,” she surmises. “We were broken, drained mentally and physically. An illogical situation in Olympic season.”

The trio further criticized the federation’s absence of support during a time when they needed it most: “We had to manage it on our own, until a meeting at the federation in the spring, and then at Bercy, where we met again in September.” The gymnasts have continued to be snubbed, but will their confession force the federation to take any action? Time will tell.