---
title: "Manila Esposito wins three European artistic gymnastics medals in Zagreb; medals serve as rebuttal to body-shaming critics"
sdDatePublished: "2026-08-18T13:18:00Z"
source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/manila-esposito-answers-body-shaming-critics-three-european-gymnastics-medals"
topics:
  - name: "sport"
    identifier: "medtop:15000000"
  - name: "artistic gymnastics"
    identifier: "medtop:20001152"
  - name: "social media"
    identifier: "medtop:20001182"
  - name: "body modification"
    identifier: "medtop:20001250"
  - name: "women's rights"
    identifier: "medtop:20001326"
  - name: "Olympic Games"
    identifier: "medtop:20001177"
locations:
  - "Zagreb"
  - "Los Angeles"
  - "South Holland"
  - "Île-de-France"
  - "Indonesia"
  - "Italy"
---


Manila Esposito wins three European artistic gymnastics medals in Zagreb; medals serve as rebuttal to body-shaming critics

Manila Esposito answers body-shaming critics with three European gymnastics medals

Manila Esposito answers body-shaming critics with three European gymnastics medals

The Paris 2024 silver and bronze medallist won floor exercise gold in Zagreb after dealing with online comments regarding her physique.

Manila Esposito left the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb with three medals and an answer for the social media users who criticised her body in the lead-up to competition.

The Paris 2024 Olympic team silver and beam bronze medallist won floor exercise gold on Saturday (15 August), took silver on beam and added another silver alongside Italy in the team final on Sunday.

She never posted a reply to the comments.

"It is not pleasant to read those comments," Esposito told Italian newspaper la Repubblica . "But I didn't give a written response, I preferred to respond with facts. I would say these medals are more than payback .

"I'm of the opinion that if you don't like something, you don't look at it," Esposito continued. "Everyone is free to say what they want, I let the comments slide off me. The problem is when they hit someone more fragile. These are people who don't put their face to it, who don't even have the courage to appear."

Asked what she would say to the online commenters, Esposito was clear.

"In reality, nothing. It's not possible that in 2026 there are still people commenting on the bodies of women and men," she said. "It makes no sense, we are all different, there is no stereotype of beauty or of perfection to chase. Not only in gymnastics, but in no sport.

"I am fine with myself, I like myself this way. And if I didn't have my body, I probably wouldn't have brought home a lot of these results. I responded in the best way, with these medals and without lowering myself to their level."

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Women's Balance Beam | Artistic Gymnastics | Olympic Games Paris 2024

This Artistic Gymnastics session took place at the Bercy Arena, France, on 05

2024. Gold medal was deserved by Alice D'Amato (ITA), while Zhou Yaqin (CHN) took the Silver and Manila Esposito (ITA) collected the Bronze.

It hasn’t been easy since her success at the Paris Games, Esposito has admitted. She won gold with her Italian team, as well as all-around gold at the 2025 continental championships but did not enter the World Championships last October in Jakarta.

"I experienced the post-Olympics late," she said. "Then something broke. It's never easy to always stay on it, I took a bit of time for myself. Head problems that I am trying to manage and to overcome."

Esposito and Italy return to competition at the World Championships in Rotterdam in October, with the Olympic Games LA28 very much in sight.

"A world medal," she said of her biggest goal. " And another Olympic one, in Los Angeles ."