"He was already an acrobatic child and nothing scared him": a medalist at the European Championships, Léo Saladino from the Côte d'Azur is reaching maturity

At the end of November 2020, Nice-Matin was already betting big on Léo Saladino, presenting him as "a future great." Without much merit, to be honest: the young man, barely an adult at the time, had just entered the exclusive club of gymnasts capable of landing a "Miller," a double back tuck followed by a triple twist. A dazzling performance that doesn't really add to his CV but establishes the boy's level. Five years later, here he is on a European podium with a second place that counts. "He earned a lot of points through his execution, the cleanliness of his work," analyzes Patrick Bonnet, sports director of his club in Vallauris. "It will establish him and give him notoriety on a supranational scale." Entered in the all-around competition in Leipzig (Germany), the Grasse native was at the level to take silver, just a whisker behind Turkey's Adem Asil. All this 27 years after the last medal won by a Frenchman in an all-around competition at European level (Dimitri Karbanenko in 1998)...

A new status

"He's been trying to reach the international podium in the all-around competition for a while now," admits Rodolphe Bouché, his coach for five years. "Everyone knew he was capable of it. Now, everyone knows he can do it. For the judges and his competitors, he exists and will be watched." The potential has been there for a long time, visible to the eye of specialists. Ready to be nurtured to burst forth when the time comes. "The coaches saw it very quickly," recalls his mother, Dominique. "He already had developed arm muscles, he was acrobatic, and nothing scared him. At 7 or 8 years old, he was always on the podiums. Then there were regional groupings, and that's how he was spotted by the Pôle France in Antibes."

"At 4 years old, I put him in judo but he quickly got bored."

At 10, Léo left his nest in Mandelieu to join the Vallauris club, better equipped to guide his development. Gymnastics was an obvious choice after a brief stint on the mats. "At 4, I put him in judo, but he quickly got bored," smiles his mother. "His big sister did gymnastics, and he wanted to be like her. He moved around a lot; it suited him well." The Côte d'Azur native found his path, his field of expression. "It was complicated at school, " laughs Dominique, looking back. "Homework? Oh my God... He didn't really see the point. He just saw the point of practicing gymnastics." Well supported, his son grew up, building on his gradually refined skills. "He's a mega-acrobat," describes Rodolphe Bouché. "Léo is like a cat. He's super explosive and energetic."

Rimini, the big disappointment

Loving and caring— "he's easygoing, full of humor," according to his mother—this Stakhanovite can get carried away when it comes to his sport. He can slip into a trance if things don't go as he hoped. A personality trait he manages to tone down. "He's calmed down, paid more attention to cleanliness," explains Patrick Bonnet, also president of the Pôle France. "It's linked to maturity." His mother confirms: "He's quite impulsive, he starts off very quickly but also cools down very quickly and is becoming more serene. 'Marcus' told us that he's refining his character."

''Marcus'' is the phenomenon's new coach. Marc Touchais, for his full name, is a former gymnast and the most successful French coach. "I needed something new, a change of coach and a change of scenery," explains Léo. "It definitely helped me; in my head, it was all new." Just like his move to Paris to live with his girlfriend. A new balance for a new quest, thirteen months after the disappointment of the European Championships in Rimini, the last missed opportunity to secure a ticket to the Paris Games. "He fell on the parallel bars," recalls Léo Berthelier, a longtime gymnast friend. "He was disgusted, he cried at the end of the competition. Now, it's pure happiness, it'll motivate him." A shift, Rimini?

"We had to leave what had just happened behind and move on."

"I was disappointed with the past year, but I told myself that the road was long," he breathes. "I immediately took matters into my own hands: I had to put what had just happened behind me and move forward." With significant adjustments, but still with that unshakeable foundation. His loved ones didn't miss a thing about his acrobatics in Germany. "He called me after the medal, he was shouting and saying: 'That was my dream!'" says Dominique. "He's a very hard worker, he never stops. We couldn't be more proud of all these years of sacrifice and work." There are still a few more to do on the road to the next Olympic Games, in Los Angeles in 2028.