Latest news with #Derwael
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Belgian ex-Olympic gymnastics champion Derwael retires
BELGIUM's former Olympic uneven bars champion Nina Derwael said Tuesday she was retiring from gymnastics at the age of 25, having 'achieved her goals' in the sport. Derwael became the first Belgian women's gymnast to win an Olympic medal four years ago in Tokyo, taking gold after twice being crowned world champion in the uneven bars. 'If I still wanted to play a significant role at world championships or Olympics, I would have to put my body under even greater and more prolonged pressure, a risk I no longer want to take,' she said in a statement from her agency. Derwael is a three-time European champion in the uneven bars and also won gold on the balance beam in Leipzig this year. She finished fourth at the Paris Olympics in her favourite event after recovering from a serious shoulder injury.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Former Olympic gymnastics champion Nina Derwael retires at 25
Belgium's former Olympic uneven bars champion Nina Derwael said Tuesday she was retiring from gymnastics at the age of 25, having 'achieved her goals' in the sport. Derwael became the first Belgian women's gymnast to win an Olympic medal four years ago in Tokyo, taking gold after twice being crowned world champion in the uneven bars. 'If I still wanted to play a significant role at world championships or Olympics, I would have to put my body under even greater and more prolonged pressure, a risk I no longer want to take,' she said in a statement from her agency. Derwael is a three-time European champion in the uneven bars and also won gold on the balance beam in Leipzig this year. She finished fourth at the Paris Olympics in her favourite event after recovering from a serious shoulder injury.
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 days ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Gymnastics: Belgian ex-Olympic champion Derwael retires - Omni sports
Belgium's former Olympic uneven bars champion Nina Derwael said Tuesday she was retiring from gymnastics at the age of 25, having "achieved her goals" in the sport. Derwael became the first Belgian women's gymnast to win an Olympic medal four years ago in Tokyo, taking gold after twice being crowned world champion in the uneven bars. "If I still wanted to play a significant role at world championships or Olympics, I would have to put my body under even greater and more prolonged pressure, a risk I no longer want to take," she said in a statement from her agency. Derwael is a three-time European champion in the uneven bars and also won gold on the balance beam in Leipzig this year. She finished fourth at the Paris Olympics in her favourite event after recovering from a serious shoulder injury. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
UPI
5 days ago
- Sport
- UPI
Belgian gold medalist Nina Derwael retires from gymnastics
1 of 5 | Nina Derwael of Belgium was a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist in the uneven bars. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo July 15 (UPI) -- Belgian gymnast and newlywed Nina Derwael, who won gold in the uneven bars at the 2020 Summer Olympics, is retiring from the sport, she announced Tuesday on social media. "Thank you gymnastics, it's been my pleasure," Derwael wrote on Facebook, Instagram and X. Derwael, 25, first represented Belgium at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She also competed in 2024. In addition to her gold medal performance in the uneven bars, she also helped lead Belgium to its first-ever team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which took place in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Belgians finished eighth. The Russian Olympic Committee, Team USA and Great Britain took the podium in that event. "To be the greatest in a sport where the whole world spins in pursuit of perfection, you built a legacy that will last forever," Team Belgium said in a statement. "You led Belgium to its first-ever Olympic team final. You were the first Belgian gymnast to step onto the podium at the European Championships, World Championships, and Olympic Games. 'The Derwael' will be etched forever into the history of gymnastics. We've had the privilege to watch you fly, twist, and turn to all these golden moments. "Thank you, Nina! We will miss you, that's for sure." Derwael was a two-time gold medalist and two-time bronze medalist in the uneven bars at the World Championships. She won four gold medals at the European Championships, including three in the uneven bars and one on balance beam. She also won a silver medal on beam at the 2018 European Championships and the gold on beam and bars in May at the 2025 European Championships. Derwael also announced that she was married Saturday in Averbode, Belgium.
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nina Derwael, Olympic gymnastics champion, retires
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,
