ABSTRACT
My study was based on in-depth interviews with seven former elite female gymnasts (rhythmic and artistic). At the time of the interviews, the participants had been retired for different lengths of time, ranging from six months to five years, and were between 16 and 22 years old. All of the participants had trained on a year-round basis and devoted 20 to 30 hours per week to training. The average age at which they left competitive gymnastics was 18 and their average career length was 10 years.
