Hey Ada, tell us a bit about yourself

I'm a 19-year-old elite artistic gymnast, born and raised in Poland. I recently relocated to sunny Brisbane, where I'm studying I.T., and continuing with my career in gymnastics. 

As a vegan athlete, I want to show others that with the right nutrition, you can thrive on a plant-based diet.

I'm a person who enjoys planning new adventures or challenges. It could be exploring a new place on my longboard or taking up dragon boating with the uni team. 

How did you get into gymnastics?

When I was 8 years old my parents took me to a gymnastics class and I instantly fell in love with the sport. Within a few weeks, I transitioned to a sports school, allowing me to study and then train multiple hours each day. A highlight of my gymnastics career to date is competing in the floor exercise final at the World Cup in Germany (2022). 

What's one tip you have for aspiring gymnasts?

My advice is to understand the importance of truly enjoying your chosen sport.

Training at an elite level is challenging and there are many hard days. Those moments truly test my passion and determination. When I get through them, my love for the sport and my commitment to hard work only grow stronger.As for adventuring, I’m lucky to have learned early to stay true to myself and not to worry about other people’s ideas. There will always be people who think you’re strange, but as long as you’re doing something that fulfills you and brings you happiness, that's what truly matters. Embracing your uniqueness is the key to awesome adventures.

Do you have a goal race or upcoming event?

Artistic gymnastics is an unpredictable sport and unfortunately, injuries happen at the worst possible times! At the moment I'm recovering from a foot injury, and taking each day as it comes. My goal is to keep working hard and continue to represent my country (Poland) at the highest level.

Competing on the world stage is magical, and I want to experience it many more times.   

Your go-to Roam product?

I honestly love them all, but my recent obsession is the Espresso Energy Nut Butter.

Your favourite amp song for training or racing?

Can't Hold Us Down and Downtown by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Your top recovery tip?

Prioritise sleep. It's one of the most essential and accessible recovery tools. Despite a busy schedule, I can always rely on quality sleep.

Any fun facts about yourself?

During the pandemic, I picked up longboarding and used skating as my main means of transport. I loved the sense of freedom skating brought to me and I realised I was capable of skating for long distances.

In July 2022, I set out for a solo adventure: to skate 163km over 2 days from Szczecin in Poland to Berlin in Germany. The longest I'd skated before that was 60km, so this expedition was a challenge! 

There were definitely some unexpected twists in the journey - I had to skate like mad in the rain so as not to miss my train from Berlin back to Poland. This experience sparked my passion for solo travel and adventure and, in some ways, has led to this new chapter in Australia.