Humiliation, pain, bitter tears: former top gymnast Michelle Timm experienced it all as a child. In the interview she talks about grievances in her sport, the recent wave of allegations – and necessary changes.
It was like a stone being thrown into water and causing larger and larger waves. Shortly before Christmas, a 17-year-old gymnast, World Cup participant Meolie Jauch, declared the end of her top sports career: “Not because I don’t want to fight anymore,” she wrote on Instagram, “not because my body can’t do it anymore – but because it Mentally it’s no longer possible.” In the days that followed, many former and active gymnasts spoke out, declared their solidarity and reported some shocking experiences on social media. One of them is Michelle Timm, 27, who first competed for the national team in 2013 and was in the squad for many years. “No one who has not experienced what is being told can understand what it does to you,” she says. Michelle Timm, who studied primary school education for a few semesters after retiring from her career and now works part-time as a trainer in Stuttgart, sees the errors in the system – and explains where reforms should start.
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