During the Wuhan 2019 World Military Games, I interviewed Arthur Nory (BRA) who coached his teammates during the gymnastics competitions in Wuhan.
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After clinching the world high bar title just a week ago, Brazil’s Arthur Nory has had to pull out of competing at the Military World Games to recover from shoulder problems. Even though he is not competing, Nory travelled to China to coach his team-mates at Wuhan 2019.
The 2019 world high bar champion now finds himself in a tracksuit rather than a leotard and will help his team-mates into the rings and onto the high bar. “I am here to support the whole team with everything they need. As a coach, I have to look at things in a different way. But it’s a nice experience,” Nory said.
“I am an athlete, just like them. I know how it feels to be out there. In a way it’s difficult not to compete with them, but I know it’s better for me right now to not compete.”
Nory said the long season of competitions – with the Lima 2019 Pan American Games and the Stuttgart 2019 FIG World Championships as the biggest ones – has caused him some problems. “At worlds I started to have problems with both my shoulders. After we finished the competition there, we decided it’s better for me to take some rest. It’s important to take the pressure off and to stay healthy for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It’s just a matter of precaution.”
At the 2019 Stuttgart world championships the Brazilian squad secured a spot for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which was the main goal for the team. “It really was an incredible competition out there, firstly because we qualified for Tokyo. But also because I managed to qualify for the high bar final. And yeah, we all know what happened there.
Nory, who had qualified for the final in fourth place, clinched high-bar gold on the last day of Stuttgart 2019.
“Back in 2015 [at the world championships in Glasgow, Scotland], I finished fourth in the final. I always had this bitter taste about that and decided to train even harder on high bar. To then come away with the world title made me cry out of happiness.
“It’s an incredible feeling and something to cherish forever. I will never forget that moment, when I sat there on the floor crying because I had won.”
To travel to China just one day after clinching the world title had been difficult for the Brazilian world champion, but he is not the only one who feels like that. “All of us have been to Stuttgart before this. The world championships have been tough and it has left us a bit tired. But we are here to represent the military and our country. We do this with pride and we will overcome the tiredness.”
London 2012 Olympic Games 
