Nina Derwael

Belgian artistic gymnast who became the first Belgian woman to win Olympic gold in gymnastics, specializing in uneven bars with multiple world titles.

Born on August 30, 1998, in Sint-Truiden, Belgium, Nina Derwael began gymnastics at age six at her local club. Growing up in a country with limited gymnastics tradition, she developed her skills under coach Yves Kieffer, who recognized her exceptional upper body strength and natural affinity for the uneven bars. Her early training focused heavily on perfecting the technical precision and innovative release skills that would later define her career. Derwael's breakthrough came at the 2017 World Championships in Montreal, where she won Belgium's first-ever gymnastics world medal with bronze on uneven bars. This achievement marked the beginning of her dominance on the apparatus. She claimed her first world title at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, successfully defending it in Stuttgart in 2019. Her routines consistently featured the highest difficulty scores in the field, combining complex release moves with flawless execution. The pinnacle of her career arrived at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she captured gold on uneven bars, becoming Belgium's first Olympic gymnastics champion. Her victory margin was decisive, demonstrating the technical superiority she had maintained over her competitors for several years. She also contributed to Belgium's fourth-place finish in the team competition, the country's best Olympic gymnastics result. Derwael's impact on gymnastics extends beyond her medal collection. Her innovative approach to uneven bars routines, particularly her mastery of connection values and release elements, has influenced how the apparatus is approached at elite level. She elevated Belgium's profile in international gymnastics and inspired a new generation of Belgian gymnasts. Her technical precision and consistency established her as arguably the greatest uneven bars specialist of the modern era, with her name now synonymous with excellence on the apparatus.

Technical precision and innovative skills on uneven bars with exceptional consistency

Pioneered Belgian gymnastics success and inspired a new generation of gymnasts

• Olympic Gold Medal - Uneven Bars (2021)
• World Champion - Uneven Bars (2018, 2019)
• European Champion - Uneven Bars (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)