Giulia Steingruber defies the passage of time

The European jumping champion is about to make her last big appearance – at the mature gymnast’s age of 27. Steingruber has had a lot of bad luck with injuries in recent years; but now she feels ready again.

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Giulia Steingruber has already been to Tokyo, ten years ago the gymnastics world championships took place here. She was 17 at the time and a newcomer to the group of the world’s best jumping specialists. Steingruber finished fifth in the World Cup – and, in addition to the competitions and training, had plenty of time to explore the city. “Tokyo has been one of my favorite cities ever since,” she says.