The 2024 Paris Olympics dealt a heavy blow to Melanie de Jesus dos Santos. Her initial Olympics debut at Tokyo was cancelled due to the pandemic, and she was pretty excited to represent France at Paris. But in the qualifying round, she fell from the uneven bars and stumbled in the floor exercise, missing her chance to rejoice on the podium. And that one falter in step came with problems that persist even now. 

During a recent interview with ‘On Refait Le Sport’, de Jesus dos Santos revealed the truth about her condition following the 2024 Olympic Games. Prior to the Games, she had brands backing her finances, while she focused on improving her skills. But in the aftermath of the 2024 Olympics, she’s left behind with regret, and no will for redemption either.

“Today, I have nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but it’s different from before the Olympic Games. Before the Olympics, I was lucky enough to have really good support. I was with LVMH, Dior, Adidas, and Venus. I was well supported. After the Games, it was expected that some contracts would end… You feel a bit alone, you’re no longer being supported… You go from everything to nothing.”

Unable to afford her own place, Melanie de Jesus dos Santos moved back with her parents to her birthplace, Martinique. She is now on contractual employment at Cregym (Martinique regional Gymnastics Committee). She is living paycheck to paycheck. But her disappointment with the French federation still persists. According to her, the fallout hit harder because of mismanagement and miscommunication.

“I think we didn’t receive any follow-up afterward,” the young gymnast continued. “We could have gone through some less difficult times if we had been supported by the federation… I felt the need to completely disconnect from gymnastics because I was disgusted after Paris with what I had done, with what I represented.” 

Right now, de Jesus dos Santos is navigating through a period of post-Olympic blues. But she isn’t the only one feeling low. Holly Bradshaw, an Olympic medalist in pole vault, did an extensive study on the post-Olympic blues. And the one thing that helped the athletes overcome it was support from their close ones. Additionally, they also engage in other competitions to cushion the blow of the post-Olympic low, like how Melanie was a part of Simone Biles’ Gold over America tour.

The Martinique-born gymnast is certainly on her way to recovery. While she doesn’t have any competition goals as of now, she has declared that she’s going to enjoy training at her club. But when she spoke to ‘On refait Le Sport’, de Jesus dos Santos garnered a few reactions from the gymnastics community. 

The gymnastics world sympathizes with Melanie de Jesus dos Santos

The world was truly saddened to hear about the gymnast’s recent struggles. One fan from America stated, “Awww. This makes me extremely sad for her… we love Melanie over here in the US!!! ❤️” Even Max Whitlock, a three-time Olympic and World Champion from Great Britain, felt the anguish. He wrote, “This is sad to hear.” Meanwhile, another fan added to de Jesus dos Santos’ star factor and commented, “Melanie is a star always🔥🔥🔥.” 

But one thing is pretty clear. The pressure of expectations on Melanie de Jesus dos Santos and her teammates was overwhelming, especially in front of the home crowd. Marine Boyer, one of the French gymnasts, recently criticized the federation for poorly managing the team. It also affected de Jesus dos Santos. With the crowd cheering her up at the arena, she felt the performance pressure and experienced a few mishaps. One fan rightfully highlighted that and wrote, “They put TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON HER ….”

However, there were a few others who believed there is a brighter future for the gymnast away from gymnastics. Melanie de Jesus dos Santos is 25 years young and can explore other aspects of life. One fan reflected on this and wrote, “Mélanie is young and bright, I hope she will explore degrees and internships opportunities to know what she likes. I hope she under she doesn’t NEED to come back to be successful. She could also get involved in speaking opportunities. There’s so much to discover.”

Despite the heartbreak of Paris and the uncertainty that followed, Melanie de Jesus dos Santos is slowly finding her footing again. The gymnastics world continues to rally behind her, and as she heals, she may yet discover new strengths, and perhaps a new future beyond the sport.