Winning is the best response to body shaming, Italian gymnast Manila Esposito told ANSA before her return Monday from the European Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb where she bagged one gold and two silver medals.
    "Those posts clearly didn't please me, but I let them slide.

I didn't give their authors the satisfaction of responding via text, but I responded on the field, and I think that was the best reaction," Esposito said on the phone from the Croatian capital.
    "I feel good about myself, and it's thanks to my physique that I'm able to achieve certain results.
    "But while this behavior, however unfair and unjustified, doesn't affect me much, it can deeply hurt a more sensitive girl or boy who is targeted solely for their appearance.
    "Each of us has our own body type, and it's certainly not possible for everyone to conform to a single cliché, a supposed prototype of beauty, of physicality.
    "Nor is it possible for someone to allow themselves to offend while hiding behind anonymity, a behavior that should no longer be acceptable.
    "I haven't really thought about it too much these past few days in Zagreb," the Italian athlete went on, "and the fact that I've achieved certain results has allowed me to truly put everything behind me.
    "We haven't even talked about it much among us athletes, but it's a sensitive topic that many prefer not to discuss."
   

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