‘A dream come true’ - Gymnast Francis still revelling in Olympic qualification

At long last, Danusia Francis has captured her Olympic dream.

The 25-year-old gymnast booked her place innext year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, recently after a stellar showing at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

Francis posted a combined total score of 50.982 in the all-round event, placing 47th overall, but received an individual qualifying spot after being ranked ninth out of 20 women with the highest results who were not part of an already qualified team. She competed alongside her compatriots Toni-Ann Williams and Kiara Richmon. They received total scores of 47.798 points and 44.632 points, respectively, which were not enough for them to break into the top 20.

For Francis, the realisation of a dream she had held since she started the sport at five years old was almost too hard to believe.

“It’s an absolute dream come true. I am over the moon and very proud of myself that I was able to handle the pressure at the World Championships in order to qualify,” she told The Gleaner.

“I have dreamt of this moment since I was five years old, and 20 years later, to see my name on the list of qualifiers is an incredible feeling. It might not fully sink in till I am wearing the Jamaican flag with pride out there in Tokyo next year,” she added.

Her Olympic qualification comes off the back of a historic summer for the Britian-born athlete, who represented Jamaica in their first-ever gymnastics final at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Her seventh-place finish in the all-round final was a testament of the time invested in working out high-scoring routines over the last two years.

“Last year and this year, I have been able, with my coaches, to work out what routines would score best, as well as learning how to peak at the right time as the gymnastics season is quite sporadic. [The] Pan American Games this year gave me a major confidence boost. After making Jamaica’s first-ever gymnastics final, I knew Tokyo was within my reach,” Francis said.

determination

Her determination to make the final cut was not just about continuing momentum gained from Lima but also about putting behind her the crushing disappointments of having her dream twice denied.

While she was representing Great Britain, she only managed to land a spot on the team as a reserve for the London 2012 games. Four years later, she qualified Jamaica for the Olympic test spot from resulting World Championships. However, despite this, she was not chosen to compete at the qualifying event.

She only recently went back to competitive gymnastics after taking a break from the sport in 2016. Her reason for returning was simple she wanted no regrets on what could have been.

“I didn’t want to look back in 10 years’ time and think, ‘what if?’” she said in an interview with flogymnastics.com on October 25, 2017. “I still loved the sport, and with the Commonwealth Games being in the Gold Coast (Australia), that definitely helped sway my decision. I emailed my coaches at Heathrow [Gymnastics Club], and they were very supportive, and so was my family and friends, so I thought, why not? I don’t want to have any regrets.”

The year 2019 will be unforgettable for Francis, and she hopes that when she steps on to the mat in Tokyo, it will lead to more lasting memories.

“To have come so close both times was a bit heartbreaking, and there have been times when I have had doubts whether it was worth all the hard work, sacrifices, blood, sweat, and tears, but I believe everything happens for a reason, and 2020 is my year,” she said.