In 2024, Ema Kandalova started competing as a senior artistic gymnast, and this March, she competed in her first international competition of 2025, representing Team GB in Germany at the DTB Pokal, where she came away with the Bronze medal in the Team event and on Balance Beam. Ema also competed at the British Artistic Gymnastics Championships this year, winning Silver on Balance Beam and Bronze on Floor, and finished 5th in the All-Around, and at the 2024 Leverkusen Cup, she won Gold on Vault, Balance Beam and in the Team event, and Silver in All-Around. As a junior gymnast, in 2023, Ema represented Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Slovenia, winning Bronze with her teammates Ellie Lewis and Jemima Taylor, and she won Bronze in the All-Around and qualified for the Vault and Uneven Bars finals. Speaking with Ema, she told us about winning Bronze in the Team event and on Balance Beam at the DTB Pokal in March, competing at this year’s British Artistic Gymnastics Championships and her success at the Leverkusen Cup as a first-year senior.
How was your time competing in Germany with your British teammates at the DTB Pokal competition in March?
It was such an amazing experience, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing team and to be able to compete for GB. We had a great time and it is definitely an experience I will never forget.
What was it like winning Bronze in the Team event and on the Balance Beam at your first international competition of 2025?
We had all worked so hard alongside our amazing coaches and to see it all pay off was incredible. I could not be prouder of all my teammates and I am so thankful for the chance to compete in the Beam final alongside some of the best gymnasts.
At this year’s British Artistic Gymnastics Championships, you won Silver on the Balance Beam and Bronze on Floor, how did you feel winning these medals and competing in the apparatus finals?
It was such a surreal feeling, I was just happy to have the chance to compete in the finals and I did my very best. It was definitely one of the best moments I have experienced and I could not have been happier with the result.
What was this year’s competition like to be part of and how was it finishing in 5th place in the All-Around?
It was an honour to compete alongside such amazing gymnasts at the British Championships this year, I had so much fun going around the competition with all my teammates and coaches.
Can you tell us about your experience competing at the Leverkusen Cup last year, where you won Team, Vault and Beam Gold and All-Around Silver?
The Leverkusen Cup was an incredible competition, it was amazing to meet so many friendly people from lots of other countries. I was there with the most incredible team and through each other’s support we achieved some great results.
2024 marked your first year as a senior gymnast, how have you found transitioning from junior to senior level?
It was definitely a change to have to step up from being a junior to senior gymnast, the competition is tougher and more serious but through hard work and dedication I really enjoy any opportunity to be able to compete against world class gymnasts.
What are some of your favourite memories from representing Team GB at the 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival in Slovenia alongside Ellie Lewis and Jemima Taylor and what was it like coming away with a Bronze medal with the team?
It was such an honour to have been selected for the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2023, I was a part of such an incredible team and we all worked extremely hard for the competition. It was an extremely memorable moment to be able to win a Bronze medal and I am so proud of the whole team.
Individually, you won Bronze in the All-Around and qualified for the Vault and Uneven Bars finals, how did you find the experience competing at a major international multi-sport competition and how did you stay focused during your finals?
It was my first experience competing at a multi-sport international competition, but it was such an amazing one. Meeting loads of amazing athletes from loads of different sports made the trip even more memorable. It was also surreal to be able to compete in the Bars and Vault finals, while I was slightly nervous, I just wanted to enjoy the experience by staying focused and giving it my all.
How did you feel being selected to represent Team GB at both the Junior World Championships and EYOF, and what do you enjoy most about competing around the world?
The selections for the Junior World Championships and EYOF were my first major international competitions where I represented Great Britain, while there were areas of improvement at different points throughout the competition, I am forever grateful for the opportunities as they definitely helped me to learn and grow as a gymnast.
Can you tell us about your typical training day at Tolworth Gym Club and how much does your training change in the lead up to a competition?
Usually a typical training day for me requires a mix of my injury prevention exercises, strength and conditioning alongside flexibility work; additionally training on apparatus. My training slightly differs throughout the year depending on if I am training in competition season or out of competition season. My training intensity does increase before competitions to build stamina and put my routines together, but going back to basics and working on my prehab to prevent injuries is always vital in the lead up to a competition.
How did you get into artistic gymnastics and had you always known you wanted to compete at elite level?
I first got into gymnastics as a hobby with a friend when I was five years old. However, the more I did gymnastics, the more I got into it; I started to watch Olympic gymnasts online and got more and more inspired by them. The more that I carried on with it, I got better and knew that I wanted to be the best that I could and compete at an elite level one day.
Are there any gymnasts you particularly enjoy watching compete and do you have any other favourite sports to watch?
There are many gymnasts that I have looked up to as inspiration ever since I was younger, many of which have been GB Olympians that I have been able to compete against over the past year.
How do you like to spend your free time?
When I have free time, I find it very important to have time to spend with family and friends, I think it is very important as they are all such special people to me.
Do you have any competitions coming up that you can tell us about or that you are targeting?
For the moment I don’t have any competitions coming up as the season has just finished, so I am working on upgrading the difficulty values of all my routines and some new skills to hopefully build for the upcoming competition season at the end of the year.
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