The last FIG World Challenge Cup of the season was held in September. Staunch athletes from Brazil, Mexico, France, and Great Britain clinched victories in this event held from September 16 to September 17. During this event, a French gymnast, after training on foreign soil for over a year, also struck her magic on the mats of Paris.

Interestingly, 23-year-old Melanie de Jesus dos Santos, who is also currently coaching with Simone Biles coach, received a compliment from the 45-year-old as she stood atop the podium at the event. However, amid the staunch win, the athlete who is gearing up for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship was snubbed by the fans. Many fans claimed the other gymnast’s performance to be better than the 23-year-old’s.

Melanie de Jesus dos Santo’s gymnastics performance on home soil

Recently, Inside Gymnastics posted a video of the French athlete Melanie de Jesus dos Santo’s performance at the FIG World Challenge Cup. In the video, captioned “There’s no better welcome home than winning two gold medals in front of your home crowd,” the gymnast was spotted performing a dynamic routine on the uneven bars at the Accor Hotels Arena. Amid the athlete’s staunch performance, the 23-year-old was able to secure gold in both uneven bars and floor exercise. According to the caption, “Two-time Olympian Marine Boyer added gold to Balance Beam to give the French women three out of possible titles.”

This win comes after the athlete decided to train in the United States after the Tokyo Olympics. The athlete is currently training in Houston, Texas, with Simone Biles coach Cecile Landi for the upcoming big games. Amid de Jesus dos Santo’s performance, the athlete was also praised by Landi. The 45-year-old posted a performance video of the gymnast on her Instagram story with the caption “Bravo Bravo Bravo,” accompanied by four gold medal emojis.

Interestingly, despite showcasing new techniques and skills on home soil, de Jesus dos Santos was heavily criticized by the fans. A fan also accused the French authorities of being biased towards foreign athletes in the viral post.

Melanie de Jesus dos Santos faces fan backlash

After completing all ten events of the highly anticipated FIG World Challenge Cup, France took the lead with a total medal standing of 7, followed by Great Britain and Italy, who secured 4 and 2 medals, respectively. Interestingly, at the event, Melanie’s two awards helped the team attain the highest gold medal count in the women’s gymnastics performances. However, amid the athlete’s staunch win, many fans criticized the 23-year-old’s performance at the event.

One fan, while highlighting the only French gymnast winning the event, wrote down the comment, “Only French gymnasts winning the PARIS World Cup Give me a break @figymnastics.” Another fan who believed Brazilian gymnast Flavia Saraiva’s performance to be better than Melanie’s added, “Sorry, but the balance beam gold belongs to Saraiva.”

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A fan who believed Rebeca Andrade to be better than Melanie penned down a comment, “@figymnastics Rebeca was much better than Melanie.” While one fan who thought Rebeca Andrade’s technique to be much better than the 23-year-old gymnast added, “Ok..She was Amazing..BUT,Rebeca was better…more difficult and tecnique routine.”

In essence, despite this backlash, Melanie exhibited incredible skills on the mats of Paris. Now, the fans await for the 23-year-old to maintain her zeal and demonstrate a staunch performance at the World Artistic Gymnastics championship.

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