Q&A: Mitch Morgans on life as an elite gymnast

Mitch Morgans is a student at UC, and he’s also an elite gymnast on the Australia team. He lives and trains at the AIS, and has just been selected for the Commonwealth Games. I spoke with Mitch about life as a gymnast, preparing for competition and juggling life.

Q: Australia’s not really known for men’s gymnastics, how do you think men will fare at the games?

A: We’re not that well known. The sport is dominated by girls but I think that’s because a lot more girls participate in the sport. And most people think of China and Russia and not Australia when it comes to men’s gymnastics. I don’t think that many people know about the men’s team

We did have some setbacks in 2014. That was a terrible year for us – we had a lot of injuries. This year, we hope to turn around. We really want to push for a medal chance at the Commonwealth Games.

Q: How do you prepare before a competition?

A: In the lead up to competition, I’ll go through my routine a few times each day at training.

On the day, I just try to chill out as much as possible and listen to music. I try to have less stress during the day because I know that it’s going to be intense during the comp.

Q: What’s the average day look like for you?

A: My alarm goes off at 7am, and I usually hit snooze twice. I’ll have breakfast, then go to training for three hours, then I have a second breakfast and go to a physio appointment. After that I’ll have lunch and usually watch a movie or have a nap. Then I go training for another three hours, have dinner, supper and bed.

Q: How do you juggle gymnastics, work and study?

A: Gymnastics is my priority right now.

I work part-time as a gymnastics coach. I take that seriously. I’m a tough coach, I teach them how I was taught. That job is good for me, because it fits in with training and competitions.

I have actually deferred Uni right now to focus on training. I’m studying Sports Science, and am thinking of doing a business course too.

I was thinking that it’d be good to join the circus for a year, but I also want to get Uni done.

Q: Do you feel like you’re sacrificing your life for gymnastics?

A: Gymnastics is what I love. Right now, I am following a strict life but I don’t think of it as a sacrifice.

I don’t think its a hard choice. The commitment is not hard because I want to be here. The training is always going to be hard, and that’s a good thing. I want to challenge myself and get better and better. I want to be the best in the world at this and that’s my goal. It’s what I want.

I know that my gymnastics career is a short period in my life, and so I have to give it everything.

Q: Apart from gymnastics what do you do in your down time?

A: I do the normal things –  like hang out with friends or go to the beach. I used to get on the skateboard but I’m trying not to get injured at the moment. I like watching movies and I’m working on my social media. I’m cooking something up. Its @middymorgans