Last year, Jess Weintraub made her Olympic debut competing for the Australian rhythmic gymnastics team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and alongside her Australian teammates Saskia Broudelet, Emmanouela Frroku, Lidiia Iakovleva and Phoebe Learmont (Aspire Gymnastics group), she competed in the Rhythmic Group All-Around competition. 2024 also saw Jess compete at the Oceania Continental Championships in Budapest, winning Gold in the Team event with Aspire Gymnastics group, and at the Sofia Cup, she won Gold in the Team All-Around and 5 Hoops and Silver in 3 Ribbons and 2 Balls, with her fellow Aspire/Australian teammates. We found out from Jess about making her Team Australia Olympic debut at the age of 17 at Paris 2024, winning Gold at the Oceania Continental Championships in Budapest, her success at the Sofia Cup and being part of the Aspire Gymnastics group.
How did you feel making your Olympic debut at the age of 17 at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last summer as part of Australia’s rhythmic gymnastics team?
To have the opportunity to represent my country at such a young age is an immense privilege, and I will forever be grateful to the people who helped me achieve this dream. At 17, it is impossible to fully comprehend the magnitude of the Olympic Games and how huge the atmosphere is, but after stepping on the floor and competing, only then did I realise what I had just achieved.
What was it like representing Team Australia in Paris and how did you prepare for the Olympics?
Representing Australia was the honour and the most amazing privilege of my life. The explosive community and atmosphere that Team Australia has is unmatched and the team spirit is unlike anything I have ever experienced.
Two weeks before we entered the village, we had a training camp in Calais where we trained for eight hours every day, which included warm-up, strength, and repetitions of routines. Additionally, we had a psychologist who helped us bond as a team and prepare us mentally for the Games. Additionally, we had a team physio in the village who helped us be in our best physical form possible.
How did you find the experience competing at the Adidas Arena and how did you stay focused during the competition?
Competing in the Adidas Arena was a surreal and incredible experience. Competing with my team in front of 10,000 people is no easy feat, but exceptionally rewarding and humbling.
Our team had a ritual which we did right before we stepped onto the competition floor, we did specialised breathing exercises and repeated positive words and phrases to each other. We helped each other stay focused and blocked out any distractions around us, and stayed in our ‘bubble’.
You competed in the rhythmic group All-Around competition with your Australian teammates Saskia Broudelet, Emmanouela Frroku, Lidiia Iakovleva and Phoebe Learmont, finishing with the best ever result for an Australian team at the Olympics in 11th place, what was the group All-Around competition like to be part of?
The group competition was one like no other, being on the same mat with Olympic champions from across the globe is a very special feeling. To be able to witness how they train and compete is enlightening, and talking to those athletes and being able to form friendships was very inspiring.
How was it staying in the athletes village and attending the Olympic closing ceremony?
Attending the Olympic closing ceremony with the Australian Team was one of the greatest experiences of the whole Games. There aren’t enough words to explain how surreal it felt to walk amongst the greatest athletes of the 21st century. Being able to connect with athletes from other countries during the ceremony was such a breathtaking experience.
In May last year, you won Gold at the Oceania Continental Championships in Budapest in the Team event with Saskia, Emmanouela, Lidiia and Phoebe, which also saw you qualify Australia a spot at the Paris Olympics, how did you feel winning Gold at this competition?
The feeling of stepping onto the podium was one of relief and gratitude, knowing that our hard work and sacrifices had paid off. We knew that we had another hard road ahead leading up to the Games, but in that moment, nothing else mattered whilst we just took in our achievement.
How was your time in Budapest and what were the Oceania Continental Championships like to compete at?
The Continental Championships was one of the most difficult competitions during our team’s season, not because of the actual competitors, but because of the external factors. Our competition was a part of the European Championships, meaning that our first routine was at the very start of the competition, and we had a five-hour break until our final routine. However, competing at such a prestigious competition was incredible nevertheless.
Can you tell us about competing at the Sofia Cup in April 2024, where you won Gold in the Team All-Around and 5 Hoops and Silver in 3 Ribbons and 2 Balls with your fellow Australian teammates?
Sofia Cup was one of my top competitions I have ever competed at, but also one of the most nerve-racking. The competition experience was a very special one because it was our last competition after the end of a six-week international trip. We attended a training camp in Greece, training eight to nine hours a day in order to prepare ourselves for this competition. We came into this competition hoping to do our personal best, but not with a medal in mind, so to win Gold All-Around was such a reward and an immense feeling of accomplishment.
What do you enjoy most about competing with Saskia, Emmanouela, Lidiia and Phoebe as part of the Aspire Gymnastics group?
Our team has a very special bond, we are all friends and essentially, we are each other’s second family. Together with our coaches, we have overcome many hardships and difficult moments, which brought us closer together and helped us work with each other to achieve our common goal. Each girl brought something unique and vital into our team, and we utilised everyone’s strength to create a lifelong bond with each other and compete as one body.
Where does your love of rhythmic gymnastics come from and how did you get into it?
Originally, my mum put me into ballet at the age of two, and I loved it. She then found out about rhythmic gymnastics, which would help me in ballet, and I continued to do both for the next 12 years. I first found my love for sport whilst competing, I loved the feeling of having all eyes on me and performing in my leotards.
Do you remember how you felt representing Team Australia internationally for the first time and what are some of your stand-out highlights of your gymnastics career so far?
My first time representing Australia formally was at the 2023 Grand Prix in Thiais, before then I had competed in small competitions internationally as an individual from 2016. Thiais was my first international group competition, and being on such a big stage was a daunting experience.
One of my favourite moments of my career was Australian National Championships in 2019, where I won an individual medal. Stepping onto the podium after a hard competition was an incredible feeling at a young age, and from there I only wanted to reach higher and go further.
Can you tell us about your typical training day at Aspire Gymnastics Academy?
Our typical weekday training began at 3:30/4pm, where we would come in after school or work to practise repetitions by ourselves or with other team members, then at 4:30pm we would officially start our training with warm-up and strength, then move into overstretching. And around 5:30pm, we would start routines and repetitions until 8:30/8:45pm when we would finish. On Saturdays, we started at 8am and repeated the same schedule until 2pm, and finished our training session formally, but normally stayed behind to perfect our throws.
Who are some of your favourite gymnasts to watch compete and do you have any other favourite sports to watch?
My favourite gymnast to watch in the 2016-2024 cycle was Linoy Ashram and Margarita Mamun, I used to watch Mamun’s documentary every night before I went to sleep. As of this year, I enjoy watching Stiliana Nikolova and Meital Sumkin.
I also enjoy watching soccer, as my brothers have both played it and continue to do so. Additionally, I love watching sprinting during the Olympics.
How do you like spending your time away from gymnastics?
I enjoy going to the gym and keeping myself active, but also finding balance and spending time with my friends and family. I also love going back down to Melbourne to visit family during the holidays.
Do you have any competitions coming up that you can tell us about or that you are targeting?
Currently, I don’t have any competitions coming up, and I am just focused on completing my year 12 and graduating.
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