Filipa Martins

Three-time Olympian and eight-time world championships competitor Filipa Martins of Portugal announced her retirement from gymnastics today, bringing to a close her 24-year career in the sport after continuously making history and breaking records for her country.

Martins, 28, leaves the kind of once-in-a-lifetime legacy that will be nearly impossible for others to top, including an endless list of “firsts” at every level. In her 13 years of senior elite competition, Martins became the first Portuguese gymnast to qualify to continental and world all-around and apparatus finals, and in Paris this summer, she became the first to qualify to an Olympic all-around final as well.

She was the first Portuguese gymnast to win a world cup medal after earning the bronze on floor in Ljubljana in 2013, and went on to win a total of 15 world cup and challenge cup medals. She was also the first Portuguese gymnast to get a named skill in the Code of Points after debuting a clear hip Tkachev to mixed grip at the European Championships in 2021, something she learned and perfected while unable to compete during the Covid-19 hiatus in 2020.

Martins’ eponymous skill

In addition to her world and challenge cup medals, Martins has also reached the podiums at prestigious competitions like the University Games, where she won the bronze on beam in 2015, and the Mediterranean Games, where she won the bronze on vault in 2022. She also holds nearly every single continental, world, and Olympic record for Portugal, and she has countless national titles, including the all-around titles every year she contended.

Martins, who trained at Acro Clube da Maia outside of Porto, first tried gymnastics when she was four years old after her friend’s mother saw her remarkable physical abilities during a physical education class. With a master’s degree in high performance training from the University of Porto, Martins hopes to stay involved in gymnastics now that she’s done competing, perhaps as a coach, though she’s still figuring out her next steps.

In the meantime, Martins says “it’s time for new adventures and to plan a beautiful future.” We will miss her tremendously on the world stage, and wish her the best of luck as she begins her next chapter.

Article by Lauren Hopkins