logo
Nina Derwael, Olympic gymnastics champion, retires

Nina Derwael, Olympic gymnastics champion, retires

NBC Sports15-07-2025
Nina Derwael, the Tokyo Olympic uneven bars gold medalist from Belgium, has retired from gymnastics, according to her national federation.
'I achieved what I wanted and was able to achieve,' Derwael, 25, said in a press release, according to a translation. 'I was able to prove what I was capable of.'
This past May, Derwael won her third European title on bars and her first on the balance beam, her first major championship medals since undergoing major surgery for a shoulder dislocation in September 2023.
'As a precaution, I'd only been able to train my final routine to the fullest a few times, and I was competing purely on experience,' she said. 'It made me realize that I can't do better. If I want to play a significant role at a World Championship (or the Olympics), I have to put even more and longer strain on my body, and I don't want to take that risk any longer. In recent weeks, my mind has increasingly asked: 'Isn't it enough? Is it worth risking my body?' To which I must finally conclude: it's been enough. It's even been very good.'
At the Tokyo Games, Derwael became the first Belgian gymnast to win Olympic gold and the first Belgian female gymnast to win an Olympic medal of any color.
In 2019, she was the only female gymnast other than Simone Biles to win an individual event at the World Championships. Derwael won bars, while Biles won balance beam, floor exercise and vault.
Derwael came back from her shoulder surgery to compete at a third Olympics in Paris. She placed fourth on bars, 34 thousandths of a point behind bronze medalist Suni Lee of the U.S.
Derwael married Thibau Dierickx last Saturday, according to their social media.
Nick Zaccardi,
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Shifting Her Goals Ahead Of U.S. Nationals
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Shifting Her Goals Ahead Of U.S. Nationals

Forbes

time21 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Shifting Her Goals Ahead Of U.S. Nationals

EUGENE, OREGON - JULY 24: Sydney McLaughlin of Team United States celebrates winning gold in the ... More Women's 4x400m Relay Final on day ten of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 24, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by) Over the years, the 400-meter hurdles category has been dominated by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. At the Paris Olympics, the 25-year-old successfully defended her gold while lowering her world record to 50.37 seconds. However, McLaughlin-Levrone has decided to shift her focus from her expertise event for the upcoming Track and Field Outdoor Championships. She has decided to skip the 400-meter hurdles event and will compete in the 400-meter flat category instead at the Nationals to be held from July 31 to August 3. According to NBC, McLaughlin-Levrone was 'expected to choose one of the flat 400-meter or 400-meter hurdles for Nationals, but not both.' The decision to skip the 400-meter hurdles can also be due to scheduling issues at the event. On day three of the Nationals to be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, the Women's 400-meter flat final (1:03 p.m.) is almost 15 minutes before the 400-meter hurdle semi-final (1:19 p.m.). McLaughlin-Levrone's decision to skip the event at Nationals can be a strategic one as well, as she can still qualify for the event at the 2025 Worlds. For this, she will have to participate in the Diamond League races between the Nationals and the Worlds, qualify for the finals, and ultimately win the Diamond League final in Zurich. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Expanding Her Categories EUGENE, OREGON - JUNE 30: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone celebrates after crossing the finish line to set ... More a new world record in the women's 400 meter hurdles final on Day Ten of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 30, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by) McLaughlin-Levrone has cemented her legacy in the hurdles events with world titles, Olympic wins, and multiple world record breaks. However, she has been trying to expand her categories in the past few seasons, also participating in the 400-meter flat. In 2022, during an interview, McLauglin-Levrone stated that she would look forward to 'expand to the 400-meter flat and see what's possible there.' At the 2023 Worlds, she decided to participate in the flat event after qualifying at Nationals with a personal best time. However, due to a knee injury, she was forced to sit out of the event. At the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials, McLaughlin-Levrone, who had initially planned to compete in the 400-meter hurdles, 400-meter flat, and 200-meter races, forfeited the 200 and 400-meter flat events due to schedule conflicts. Despite not racing the event at a global stage, she is the second-fastest American woman, with a time of 48.74, set at the 2023 U.S. Nationals. So far, in 2025, McLaughlin-Levrone has competed in three 400-meter flat races. At the inaugural edition of the Grand Slam track in Jamaica, she posted a time of 50.32. It was followed by a time of 49.69 at the Miami edition of the event. In July, she claimed her season's best with a time of 49.43, making her the world's sixth fastest woman for the season. Despite a steady performance in the event, McLaughlin-Levrone will also face intense competition at Nationals. 21-year-old Aaliyah Butler and American Indoor record holder Isabella Whittaker both have been faster than Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 2025.

How to watch Everton vs Bournemouth live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction
How to watch Everton vs Bournemouth live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction

NBC Sports

timean hour ago

  • NBC Sports

How to watch Everton vs Bournemouth live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction

The Premier League Summer Series 2025 kicks off Saturday in New Jersey when USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams and Bournemouth tangle with Everton at MetLife Stadium. Andoni Iraola's Cherries also boast another American in teenager Matai Akinmboni, who arrived from DC United in January but never hit the pitch despite 12 times in the matchday squad. WATCH — Everton v Bournemouth Bournemouth finished ninth last season, a terrific campaign, but Iraola and his crew will remember how close they were to reaching one of the European places. Everton, meanwhile, finished 12th on the table after a late-season surge and David Moyes is hoping for a deeper squad remade under his eye. The Toffees have some strong players coming back including Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Dwight McNeil, and Iliman Ndiaye, and have added Villarreal hit man Thierno Barry while also signing 2024-25 loanee Carlos Alcaraz on a permanent deal. For live updates and highlights throughout Everton vs Bournemouth, check out PST's live blog coverage below. How to watch Everton vs Bournemouth live, stream link and start time Kick off time: 4pm ET Saturday Venue: MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, New Jersey TV Channel/Streaming: Peacock Everton team news, focus Barry is one of the Premier League wild cards for this season after scoring 11 goals for Villarreal last season. He's a strong ball carrier who thrives in the air and has scored everywhere including Beveren (20 goals in one season) and Basel (14 over two seasons). With Pickford at the back behind Tarkowski and Branthwaite, the Toffees have a good base. Let's see how they fill out the roster. Bournemouth team news, focus The Cherries have gone from 15th to 12th and then ninth in their second Premier League tenure. Staying top-half would be a success but moving further up the table is easier said than done. Milos Kerkez is gone to Liverpool and Kepa Arrizabalaga gone on loan but Evanilson, Marcos Senesi, Justin Kluivert, Marcus Tavernier, Illya Zabarnyi, and — for now — Antoine Semenyo remain in black and red. New boys Hamed Traore, Romain Faivre, and Djordje Petrovic are among the new faces. Everton vs Bournemouth prediction It's preseason but everyone wants a prediction, yeah? Both teams can go and there aren't too many new pieces to introduce to this showing. We'll go with Bournemouth, who are a bit deeper for these 90 minutes. Everton 1-2 Bournemouth.

How Laura Stacey is using road hockey to give back to the 2 cities that have shaped her career
How Laura Stacey is using road hockey to give back to the 2 cities that have shaped her career

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

How Laura Stacey is using road hockey to give back to the 2 cities that have shaped her career

In the summer of 2018, Laura Stacey had an Olympic silver medal to her name, and little sense of what might be next for her. Two years after she'd graduated from Dartmouth College, Stacey had just won the Clarkson Cup, the top prize of the now-defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League, with the Markham Thunder. But pro women's hockey didn't pay the bills back then, and Stacey's spot on the national team was far from guaranteed. "I remember my parents asking me early on when I graduated [in 2016], how long are you going to do this for?" the Montreal Victoire forward recalled. It was at her parents' house one day, after a neighbourhood road hockey game on Stacey's 24th birthday, when her now-brother-in-law asked her: why don't you do this? By "this," he meant organize a road hockey tournament. Stacey, who's from Kleinburg, Ont., north of Toronto, put together a tournament that August with the help of her pro teammates. Since then, it's grown into an annual event, called Sticks In For Charity, and a registered charitable organization, the LS7 Foundation, that has raised nearly $200,000. The money has gone toward helping children access sports and arts programming, among other causes."The reason we started this was just to simply get kids and people and neighbours in that community out on the street, off their phones, off their computers," Stacey said in an interview with CBC Sports. "That worked in that day. But how could we continue on that path of allowing kids, people, individuals the chance to play? And so that's kind of where it all came from." As the PWHL and women's hockey have grown in popularity, so have the number of kids and adults who want the chance to play a road hockey game alongside some of the league's biggest stars. This year's tournament in Toronto included Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, New York's Sarah Fillier, Toronto's Renata Fast and Ottawa's Emily Clark, among others. It raised $65,000, blasting past the original target of $50,000. Her work with the foundation also earned Stacey this year's PWHL's Hockey For All Award, A Scotiabank-sponsored prize that recognizes a player's community work. The bank donates $10,000 to a charity of the winner's choice "that supports youth or grassroots hockey, with a focus on accessibility, diversity, and inclusion." And this August, for the first time, Stacey will hold a Sticks In For Charity road hockey tournament in Montreal, the city that has become her home. It's her way of giving back to a city that has embraced her, and grown her career to heights she may not have been able to imagine back in 2018, when the feeling of defeat at the Olympics was fresh in her mind. "They've lifted me up and I think if I can do anything to lift them up, and the community that I'm playing in, then I think that's exactly what I want to do," Stacey said. Evolving on and off the ice Growing up in the Toronto area, Stacey cheered for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The name of her great-grandfather, King Clancy, hangs in the rafters of Scotiabank Arena. She wears the same number 7 on her jersey as he did. But it's been in Montreal where Stacey's career has grown the most over the last five seasons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when most players were off the ice, now-Victoire GM Danièle Sauvageau got permission for national team players to continue training safely at Centre 21.02, the high-performance centre inside Verdun Auditorium that was built for the best female hockey players. Before the PWHL existed, it was a rare opportunity for players like Stacey to find everything they needed in one place. "The way it's helped me is just the professionalism," she said about training in Montreal. "I'm constantly surrounded by some of the best players in the world. I'm constantly surrounded by the best staff, skills coaches. Everything is just right there at your fingertips. At that point, it's on you to just want to get better." Since moving to Montreal, Stacey has earned an Olympic gold medal and three world championships with Team Canada, and has become one of the best power forwards in the game. Her speed and skill have made her a top-line player and a star with the Victoire, finishing in the PWHL's top 10 in goals and points last season. Stacey also led the league in shots. When she won Olympic gold in 2022, her name was often at the bottom of Canada's lineup. But Stacey's ability to do it all, from the power play to the penalty kill, will earn her a much bigger role in Italy this February. "I see what she does behind the scenes, the amount of work she's put into this foundation," Montreal captain Poulin, who is also married to Stacey, said at the league's awards gala in June. "She's so proud of it, and it's unbelievable. I'm very happy for her to get rewarded. To see what she's done off the ice but also on the ice, I think she's proven herself to be a great player in this league. I'm very fortunate to be able to see her evolve, day in and day out." Foundation to benefit 4 charities this year In Montreal, Victoire fans have embraced Stacey, even though she's not from Quebec. She's even trying to become a Montreal Canadiens fan. "This city treats me as if I'm one of their own," she said. "They've completely welcomed me with open arms. They've supported me. They've cheered me on more than I ever thought they would have." The same neighbourhood where Stacey trains, Verdun, will play host to the Sticks In For Charity tournament on Aug. 23. The proceeds raised by the LS7 Foundation this year will benefit four charities: KidSport Ontario, Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, Fitspirit-Fillactive and Canadian Tire Jumpstart, which is funding youth hockey initiatives led by Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, Kim St-Pierre. In Montreal, it's a chance for Stacey to connect more with the community where she trains, and to see that impact up close. "If we can help some kids in the Verdun, Montreal community get active, get involved in sport, have that same opportunity me and my sister did, then I think that's a way of giving back and being appreciative of everything they've done for me," Stacey said. "Toronto and Montreal are both my homes, and so I want to be able to have an impact and give back to both those two cities."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store