Rhythmic Gymnastics Coach: Israel Gave Me ‘Freedom to Work in a Team’
Jerusalem, 7 April, 2024 (TPS) -- SOFIA (BTA)
Giulietta Cantalupi is one of the most talented coaches in modern rhythmic gymnastics. She is the granddaughter of the woman who changed the perception of this sport not only in Bulgaria, but also around the world – the legend Julieta Shishmanova.
Kristina Gyurova’s daughter, like her grandmother, changed ideas about rhythmic gymnastics, but in Italy. She led Sofia Raffaelli to the world title in the all-around, and together with Milena Baldassari to the team gold at the planet championship in Sofia 2022.
For about half a year, Giulietta Cantalupi is no longer part of Italian gymnastics. After 12 years of work in the Apennines, for objective and subjective reasons, she decided to leave and after some consideration accepted the offer to become part of the staff of the national team of Israel .
“I am very happy with the place I have chosen. The work is very interesting because we work in a team. It is something different for me and it stimulates me a lot, Cantalupi told BNR in her first interview after the biggest change in her professional career.
“The children are wonderful and my colleagues are very good. My work in Israel is very different compared to Italy. In Italy I worked in my club together with my mother, and now I work with the national team of Israel. Everything is different. We have a head coach – Ayelet Zusman, who is very talented. She supports each of us, we discuss how to work, but still the final decisions are hers. She knows what is best for the gymnasts who represent the country at major forums,” she noted.
Choosing ‘the Bigger Challenge’
“In Israel, they gave me freedom and helped me grow. Now I see a lot more things that I couldn’t see before. I learned a lot. After I decided to leave Italy, I had many offers. On the one hand, it was difficult for me to make a decision, but on the other hand I felt very good. I had an offer to work in Bulgaria as well. Actually I had to choose between Bulgaria and Israel , but I wanted to change everything. Yes, the biggest challenge was the different way of working. I know how things work in Bulgaria , but I didn’t know anything about how things work in Israel,” Cantalupi said.
“And I chose the bigger challenge – to work in a new way. I made the decision alone and then I told my mother. I had decided to leave Italy before the World Cup in Valencia. The Italian Federation knew that the competition in Spain would be my last one under the Italian flag. It’s just that in Valencia everyone knew that I was leaving and I started getting job offers,” she noted.
She also commented on the security situation in Israel, which on Sunday is marking the six-month anniversary Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
“I’m not worried, but the situation is very complicated and dangerous. It’s very difficult, I experience everything with them because we live together. You can feel the tension. It’s not easy at all,” Cantalupi explained.
At the international tournament “Sofia Cup”, the gymnasts of Israel, led by Cantalupi, won the gold in the girls’ team competition. Her next big challenge will be the World Cup in Sofia from April 12-14.
