Жулиета Канталупи е родена на 24 януари 1985 г. в Комо (Италия). Майка й е световна шампионка българка Кристина Гюрова, а баба й е Жулиета Шишманова, прочутата българска треньорка. От 1989 г. Жулиета е в Италианския НО, 7-кратна победителка на Италианското първенство, участничка на Европейски и Световни шампионати, участва в ОИ-2012 г. в Лондон.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx5lD-3Lt2M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUbhKMX38N0
Статията от 2009 г. http://wordgym.no.comunidades.net/index ... 4605063_09
When did you start practicing rhythmic gymnastics? For what club?
I began training “seriously” when I was 7 years old... by then, my mother was teacher at the Sport Life Ascoli Piceno. I started competing when I was 8 years old, for C.B.C. Giulianova.
Classical question: did your parents push you into practicing this sport or was it a free choice of yours?
Let’s say that carrying my grandmother’s name (Julieta Sishimanova, editor’s note), who basically founded rhythmic gymnastics in Bulgaria, had its own importance. If you go on adding that my mother was a world champion...With such a family, my blood could only bear the will of practicing and loving this sport.
While other girls played with dolls, I played with... clubs...
How many hours did you train at the beginning? How went the escalation during the last years? And now?
I don’t remember at the beginning, ‘cause I went to the gym with my mother and I left only when she brought me home, and so... I have no idea.
When I was 12 years old and I went in Bulgaria, I could even train for 10 hours in a day, especially with Neshka Robeva (who trained, amongst the others, Popola, Ignatova, Ralenkova, Alexandrova... Editor’s note). Usually I had to perform 8 right performances for every apparatus, so I did at least 15 of them...
Before the Mini-Olympics at Moscow (1998), it also happened to me to end around midnight: that day I performed 30 performances for every apparatus!
Talking about performances, my record was right before the Adriatic Tournament, on 1997, when I was trained by my mother and I did 50 performances with the ball and 66 with the hoop!
Now I usually train for 5 or 6 hours in a day, but I go up to 7/8 hour while I’m arranging an important competition like European Championships or World Championships.
What was the thing you liked the least in this sport? Even now? Which one is the most tiresome, for you?
Well, I must admit I don’t know, maybe when I was a little girl I didn’t like practising dance, like probably any little girl does.
On the contrary, now I really like practising dance and there is no more something I don’t like or I find the most tiresome.
Rhythmic gymnastic is a very complex sport, and you must exert yourself really much, if you want to get to your aims.
Which was, up until now, your most satisfying result? And why?
There are many I’m satisfied of, among which the clubs final at the Corbeil Essones Tournament (2008), the two finals at Duisburg (2005), the recent victory at Prato (2008).
I also have a nice memory of 1998, the year I became both Italian and Bulgarian junior champion, at the same time, in front of Simona Peycheva, too!
When you were a child, have you ever thought you could become a sport champion?
No! Why? Am I a champion? This was my dream, when I was a child, together with becoming an actress... dream I haven’t given up, yet.
I hoped I could get until here and I still want to get better: I got one final, thence I can hope for more of them!
Which is your favourite apparatus?
I don’t have a favourite apparatus... I like them all. The important thing is not getting fed up with the exercise!
Do you take part in choosing the music? And leotards?
As for choosing the music, yes, ‘cause it’s very difficult to interpret music at your best, if you don’t really feel it inside of you.
As for the leotards, on the contrary, I usually choose amongst the suggested patterns.
When I was a child, I bought my leotards in Bulgaria; then, from 2003 up until now, I have the most part of them done at Brescia, while I have the others done at Fabriano, by other gymnasts’ mothers.
I’d take the opportunity for thanking all the people who make my leotards.
Do you have any particular ritual, or a lucky charm, before a competition?
Usually I cross myself and I kiss the apparatus before entering the floor. As a lucky charm, I have some holy water, blessed in Bulgaria, a little magnetic penguin, and a felt cat.
And this year my uncle gave me a pebble from the place where my grandmother plane crashed: it’s strange, I know, but it’s the only thing I have about her. (Julieta Sishimanova died in a plane crash, while she was going to a competition in Poland in 1978. Together with her, two gymnasts, a judge and a pianist also died. Editor’s note)
Besides, if I get a present before a competition, I bring it with me; for example, at the European Championships I got a t-shirt and a felt sheep from two dear friends and a key-ring shaped like a J with Swarowsky from one of my gymnasts.
What are your next aims?
For the next year I basically have three of them:
To win another Italian Championship;
To earn a place for the next European Championships;
And, of course, to take part in my 4th World Championships.
How is your relation with your mother, who is also your trainer?
It’s a very complicated one, the problem is we both are quite stubborn, ambitious, and I’m also a fussy perfectionist, even more than her. So, when we got stuck in a discussion where no one gives up, it’s a real problem. But, after all, without her I wouldn’t even be born. J
She is a great trainer, very talented, not always respected as much as she’d deserve; she brought in Italy a kind of gymnastics that was performed only in Bulgaria before.
Apart from sport, you’ll surely have other commitments and interests...
Yes, I really love cinema!!! At home I have all the collections of X-Files, C.S.I., Buffy, Angel.
I’d also like to read and to write, during the last months I often surf the Net (before I hadn’t a connection).
What did you study and what are you doing now?
I went to a sports High-School at Sofia, in Bulgaria, and the 1st year of Motor Sciences at the University; maybe I’ll start again with the university, this year. I’d also like to study at a drama school
Who is your favourite singer or group? And actor?
Well, I listen almost to everything; as for the actor, there are too may of them. I grew as a child with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson (X-Files); as a teenager with Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). During the last years I found William Petersen and Jorja Fox (C.S.I.), but there are many others, like Heath Ledger, who recently died.
While you’re travelling around the world, are you interested in the cities where you are competing and can you sightsee them?
Yes, I really like to go sightseeing the cities, but the problem is I often have no time or chances or means for doing it... but for sure we sightsee really well all of the indoor stadiums.
Which was your most interesting sport trip?
I think Almeria 2005, it as really nice.
Do you manage to have extra-sport contacts with some of your foreign rivals? And with the Italian ones?
Yes sure, with all the Bulgarians. Amongst Italians, I’m a good friend with Lalla (...), Romy (Laurito), Bea (Zancanaro), Paola (Bianchetti), Sara (Menassi), Matilde (Spinelli), Susanna (Marchesi), apart from all the athletes of Italian team and of course Cri, Micky, Giò, Ale and Evy, from my own club.
Статията от 2013 г. http://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/ancona/ ... gare.shtml
La 28enne fabrianese d'adozione ha disputato proprio a Fabriano l'ultima sfida della sua carriera. E' l'unica ad aver vinto per sette volte il titolo tricolore. Ora un futuro da allenatrice
Fabriano, 3 dicembre 2013 - APPLAUSI, fiori e qualche lacrima per l'addio alle gare di Julieta Cantaluppi. Tante emozioni tutte in una volta per la 28enne fabrianese d'adozione che sabato sera ha disputato proprio a Fabriano l'ultima gara della sua splendida carriera agonistica, entrando nella storia come unica atleta della ginnastica ritmica nazionale ad aver vinto per ben sette volte il titolo tricolore. Julieta, tra l'altro, ha guidato le compagne di squadra della Carifabriano al prestigioso terzo posto nel campionato nazionale a squadre proprio nella finale di sabato al PalaGuerrieri prima di festeggiare con sindaco, dirigenti federali e tutti coloro che l'hanno accompagnata nella sua ventennale carriera.
“Quella di lasciare – sostiene l'unica italiana individualista delle ritmica alle Olimpiadi di Londra 2012 - è una decisione presa insieme a mia mamma che è anche la mia allenatrice. A 28 anni per il mio sport si è decisamente in là con l'età, del resto ormai da tempo ero una delle più 'over' nelle varie competizioni nazionali e internazionali. Ma ciò non toglie che queste ore le sto vivendo con un filo di tristezza”.
Vuole dire che rimpiangerà diete perenni e dieci ore di allenamento al giorno?
“Per me non sono stati sacrifici. Sapevo ciò che era necessario per arrivare a certi livelli e l'ho fatto. Mi mancherà non potermi più confrontare con le altre, ma al tempo stesso sono pronta a metterci tutta la passione che serve nel ruolo di istruttrice”.
Come sarà il suo futuro da allenatrice?
“Impegnativo e stressante, ma spero anche appagante. Ormai sono otto anni che, seppur part time, ho iniziato ad allenare le più giovani della nostra società. Ora lo farò a tempo pieno e con tanta determinazione”.
Insomma, resterà a Fabriano ancora a lungo?
“Qui c'è una società professionale e strutturata benissimo. Seguirò tante ragazze che possono emergere e mi sento pronta per fornire il mio contributo. Farlo nella città che ormai è la mia a tutti gli effetti può essere solo un vantaggio”.
(Жулиета съобщава, че прекъсва кариерата си и ще работи в своя клуб като треньорка).
