On the eve of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Armenian gymnast Artur Davtyan shared his thoughts and expectations in an interview with 1in.am.
The 31-year-old gymnast secured an Olympic quota in the all-around at the 2023 World Championships, but Davtyan's main Olympic hope is the vault, where he is considered a favorite for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Artur Davtyan, a bronze medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 world champion, noted in his interview that he does not plan to end his career and wants to compete in the next Games in Los Angeles. Additionally, the interview revealed that Armenian athletes will soon hold training camps in France to better prepare for the tournament in Paris.
"Before the start of the Olympic Games, we will go to France, where we will begin the final stage of preparation. We will be training not in Paris, but in a city about an hour away. The most important thing is that these are the same apparatuses we will be using at the Olympic Games.
Honestly, at all the tournaments in France that I have participated in, everything has been wonderful. First, the atmosphere is good, and then — the fans are different. And finally, France is a friendly country to us.
The bronze medal won in Tokyo at that time was equivalent to gold. In the history of independent Armenia, this was the first medal in gymnastics at the Olympic Games. It is worth its weight in gold because our conditions do not meet international standards. But now that bronze will not sound as loud. Now I feel closer to Olympic gold. My competitors are now stronger but also familiar. And I am proficient in both vaults. But we need to wait and see what happens.
If everything goes well, I might participate in the next Games in Los Angeles. But these Olympic Games are the most important for me."
©️ Said Artur Davtyan in an interview with 1in.am.