Spanish Olympic medallist signs up with Cirque de Soleil

Margalida Crespí

MADRID – Where she’s going there are no nets, and no drum roll, yet the jump is monumental: from the podium at the London 2012 Olympics to the main ring of a circus. Not any old circus, mind you, the magnificent Cirque de Soleil. Yes, Margalida Crespí, Olympic bronze for team synchronised swimming and a world gold medal in the same discipline. She’s giving up high level competition for possibly more strenuous discipline of the world’s most popular circus. Aged 24, the native of Palma de Mallorca is packing her bags and headed for Montreal, the circus’s headquarters. She wants to

“try new things,” she says in an interview, to get “a breath of fresh air”, to have “an adventure”. Maybe even “learn some French.” For the moment, she knows that after intensive training in Canada she is going to work in Las Vegas, where CdS is a permanent fixture. Many of her new colleagues at the Cirque come from high level competition, so she will have good advice and plenty of company.

A Cirque spokesperson says that over 36% of their performers come from competition in rhythm gymnastics, acrobatics and synchronised swimming, as well as high diving and similar sports. The company has been known to place information booths at major competitions of this kind. “We’re always looking for good technical backgrounds, strength, agility, power, good stage presence and a willingness to push things to the limit,” she adds. “Once we contract these sportsmen and women, we turn them into artistes.”

Her colleagues in the Spanish team are certain to miss her for she has been the cornerstone of their many triumphs. The team’s coach, Esther Jaumá, says she is a hard worker and takes it very seriously. They couldn’t have chosen a better person.”

Good luck, Margali!