SHOOTING STAR Jonna Adlerteg SHOOTING STAR Jonna Adlerteg
Swedish History-maker!
JONNA Adlerteg jumped into the Swedish gymnastics spotlight when she won a bronze medal at the
Youth Olympic Games in Singapore this
summer. As the first Swedish gymnast to
win a medal in Olympic or world championship competition since 1956, Jonna
says surprise quickly
turned to appreciation
for the effort it took to
make modern gymnastics
history for her country.
“I was so unbelievably
happy and just couldn’t
understand that I actually
had won a medal,” says
Jonna of her third-place
finish on uneven bars. “It
was so many hours of
training that paid off.”
Earlier this year,
Jonna’s performances
indicated her potential
for a strong showing at
the Youth Olympics. She
placed fourth on bars at
the Junior European
championships in
Birmingham, where her
11th all-around was the
best Swedish women’s
finish since 1969. She also won the
Swedish senior all-around title,
although she is technically still a
junior until 2011.
“I was very happy and a bit sur-
prised,” recalls Jonna of the Junior
Europeans. “My goal was to make it
to the all-around final, and I under-
stood that I had a chance to make it
to the Youth Olympics. When I
came fourth on uneven bars, I real-
ized that I actually had a chance to
win a medal, and that motivated me
to work even harder.”
Jonna credits Helena Andersson and
Sebastien Melander, her coaches of the
last year at Eskilstuna Gymnastics
In and out of the
gym, Jonna’s perse-
Academy, for her recent successes. Her
training partners include Ida Jonsson and
Ida Gustafsson, both of whom have per-
formed well internationally in 2009 and
2010. “We train really hard and inspire
each other,” Jonna says. “We are an
ambitious group who supports each
other.”
Just Jonna
BORN: 6/6/1995; Vasteras, Sweden
LIVES: Eskilstuna: (“It’s a quiet,
small city. You can take a bike wher-
ever you want to go. And it’s still
Sweden’s fifth largest city.”)
SCHEDULE: “I take the train at 6: 30
(a.m.) and do morning training from
7:30-9: 30. Then I go to school.
Afternoon training is from 3-7. My
mum picks me up with the car and
drives me home. On the way home I
do my homework in the car.”
FAMILY: Father, Thomas, is a for-
mer swimmer who works as an IT
consultant. Mother, Veronica, is a
former gymnast who works as a
physiotherapist. Brother, Casper, 13.
Sister, Amalia, 10.
HOBBIES: Shopping, spending time
with friends and watching TV
(favorite show is Friends)
verance and pleasant personality impress
her 23-year-old teammate Veronica
Wagner, who competed at the 2004
Olympics.
“Jonna is determined to get what she
wants, and nothing will get in her way,”
As light-hearted as Jonna
may be, she knows that only
more hard work and concen-
tration will help her earn
more international recogni-
tion. She will be age-eligible
for next year’s worlds and the
2012 Olympics, but is already
looking ahead to the 2016
games in Rio de Janeiro.
“I focus on my own performance and I am confident in
what I do,” Jonna says. “I
know I can do my routines.
I’m going to train as hard as I
can. My club’s goal is to have
a team participating in Rio. “
Coaches Helena Andersson
and Sebastien Melander
