GYMmedia Exclusiv-INTERVIEW with Rafael Martinez

Rafael Martinez, Spain

Olympic debut at the age of 20

Vice European All-around Champion Rafael Martinez is one of the new big hopes of the Spanish men's national team in Athens now.

Next to the wellknown international experts like Jesus and Manuel Carballo, Gervasio Deferr and in the team with Victor Cano, Allejandro Barronechea, he dreams to be under the best eight Olympians at the Games in Athens and also from the floor final...

At the national Spanish Championships our Spanisch GYMmedia correspondent Esther Teijera Miethe spoke wih the national all-around champion....

Rafael Martinez, Spain

RAFAEL MARTÍNEZ (Spain):
GYMmedia exclusive Interview by GYMmedia correspondent Esther Teijera Miethe, Madrid

GYMMEDIA: Please, give the GYMmedia users some more information about yourself...
Rafael Martínez: Well, I was born on December 10th, 1983 in Madrid. I live in Móstoles (Madrid suburbs) at my parents' house, not in the training centre like all other gymnasts. We are six people at home, my parents and four children including me.

GM: How did you begin practising gymnastics?
Rafael: When I was seven years old, I started in the Joan Miró pabillion, near my home in Móstoles, and I did it just for not making the same that all boys use to do, playing football or basketball.

GM: What is you opinion about your sport, and why did you choose artistic gymnastics and not another sport?
Rafael: I think it wasn't really me who has chosen gymnastics, my parents did it. And, being all my life there, just centered in gymnastics, you don't even think in any other thing. I'll go on as long as I can.

...at the Euro Champs 2004 in Ljubljana

GM: Which is your favourite apparatus and the one you like less?
Rafael: My favourite is floor, without doubt, and the worst for me are the rings.

GM: Tell us about your main succeses in gymnastics...!
Rafael: Yes, during the European Championships in Ljubljana I won the silver medal at the all around competition and became third at floor. The Preolympic Test in Athens was quite sucessful for me, too, I finished first in floor and third at pommel horse. These are my main succeses. In Athens, I'll try be between the best eight in the all around competition.

GM: Which is your main goal at the Olympic Games in Athens?
Rafael: As I told you before, I'll try to get among the eight best in the all around and obtain an olympic diploma.

GM: What are your plans after the Olympic Games?
Rafael: Well, these Games came quite soon for me, so I'll concentrate my preparation for the next Games in Beijing 2008, where I'm supposed to be in my best shape.

....all-around winner of the triple meet 2003 in Dresden Germany, Spain, Switzerland

GM: How do you see the promotion of gymnastics nowadays, above all in Spain, where it's not a popular sport?
Rafael: Yes, it's not very popular, and we are trying now to get some medals, so that the children decide to start, and, step by step, the basis of this sports grows bigger.

GM: Which other sports do you like?
Rafael: Formula 1.

GM: Your favourite food and drink?
Rafael: Chicken with garlic sauce and Aquarius with orange taste.

GM: What do you use to do during your free time?
Rafael: I'm a DJ, I play discos, kind of progessive music and so on. Beside that I like to watch Formula 1 and carts, I also play billiard.

GM: Which have been for you your best and worst moments in you sports career?
Rafael: Obviuosly, my best moment was the silver medal at the European Championships in Slovenia, and the worst was when I was about to travel for a junior European Championships and I broke my foot while jumping at trainings.

GM: Talking about music, which are your preferences?
Rafael: What I really like is disco music, but I do also like Héroes del Silencio and Enrique Bumbury.

GM: Do you speak any other language apart from Spanish?
Rafael: I'm now trying to learn English, above all to be able to get involved in conversations with other gymnasts.

GM: Finally, if you hadn't been a gymnast or a DJ, what would you have liked to do in your life?
Rafael: I have no idea. The truth is that I never ever thought about anything else but gymnastics..

GM: ... many thanks and good luck for the Olympics!

INTERVIEW by GYMmedia correspondent Esther Teijera Miethe, Madrid, Spain.

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