Flash Quotes: Women’s Floor Final
Jessica Gadirova (GBR) – gold
On winning gold:
“I’m just so relieved and just so shocked – I can’t believe it.”
On ignoring her sister Jennifer’s routine:
“I like to focus on myself and do a pre-competition run, just try to focus on myself and stay calm.
“It did hurt me a little bit because I wished I could see her performance and scream for her as well. But I knew I needed to focus because I can produce a fantastic floor routine and wanted to show it off for Liverpool.
“It really hurt me to not scream for her, but in my mind I was like ‘come on Jen, you got this, you got this’. So for her to be able to do it for me, I’m just so honoured.”
On pulling out of the vault final on Saturday:
“We knew as a team that a (floor) medal was up for grabs for me, so we had to make a very hard decision to pull out of vault, so I could have the best chance on floor, and it definitely paid off.”
On her floor routine:
“When I focus on the dance it takes my mind away from the crowd and the tumbles and the leaps, and it makes me feel alive. That’s what I am, I love to perform and floor is one of my favourite pieces to do. It gives me such an amazing feeling.”
On preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:
“It’s definitely using that year, 2023, to build but upgrade as much as possible, and for the team to build up on their upgrades as well, so we can hopefully one day grab the gold.”
Jordan Chiles (USA) – silver
On her performance:
“I am beyond proud of myself right now. Words can’t explain anything. I am very proud of Jessica (Gadirova, GBR) as well. This is her home soil and I give all that to her, especially knowing that she is so young. She did amazing.
“I just did what I know I can do, whether I got a medal or not. Getting the silver makes me really proud. I could cry again.”
On having to wait for the other gymnasts’ scores:
“It was a little nerve wracking knowing they have higher difficulty than me. But I did my best and showed what I was made of.”
On getting energy from the crowd in Liverpool:
“I hope the world understands that the crowd is what helps us and the more you scream, the more you cheer, the more you are involved with what we do, the better we can perform.
“I hope this continues all the way through next year and the years after. We need you there.
“This has been the best experience I have ever had.”
Rebeca Andrade (BRA) – bronze
On winning bronze to add to her all-around gold:
“It was an awesome competition. It’s a big year with a lot of competitions, so it’s good to be here and finish the competition. It’s a long process. I’m really happy.”
On the final:
“We always start with a lot of energy, so I need to be really focused on the first pass and not get out of bounds. I’m happy because it’s the last time I’ll do the routine with this music – ‘Baile de Favela’ – and I did a really good job.”
On her future goals:
“Next year we have the 2023 World Championships, and I really hope we can qualify the Brazilian team for the Olympic Games because everybody wants to be there with the team.”
Jade Carey (USA) – bronze
On the final:
“That was probably the most intense floor final I’ve ever been a part of. It was really exciting gymnastics and I’m pretty happy with how it went.
“It was really fun completing that floor routine. It was really awesome to see all that amazing gymnastics.”
On challenging her original score, which led to a difficulty downgrade from 6.000 to 5.900:
“It was really me and my dad’s (Brian, her coach) decision. They’ve been giving me my full start value (6.100) this whole competition until today. We didn’t think my routine was any different than it has been.”
On winning bronze alongside Rebeca Andrade (BRA) and behind teammate Jordan Chiles:
“I’m just really grateful to be back here after the year I’ve had, and I’m still truly honoured to get a bronze on floor.”
On the world championships as a whole:
“This whole experience here was really great. I’m really proud of myself and my whole team. Team champions and winning vault gold is something I’ll never forget, and then finishing off with a floor medal is great.”
On the future for USA:
“This is just the beginning for us. We came and did what we knew we could do. I know not every person is one hundred percent satisfied with how this meet went. I know everyone is going to go back and work even harder.”
WGC22 News cl/eoc/vc/sb/jh/mb