Former Olympic Champion Nina Derwael Retires From Gymnastics
- therookiereporters
- Jul 18
- 1 min read
Former Olympic champion Nina Derwael announced her retirement from gymnastics. After a 10-year-long competitive career in which she won 11 medals, she has decided it is time to call it quits. “I have achieved everything I wanted to. I proved what I was capable of.”
Former Olympic champion Nina Derwael (25) has announced her retirement from gymnastics, marking the end of a remarkable career. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars. After capturing two more titles at the European championships in June, the 25-year-old decided to call it quits.
“I have achieved everything I wanted to. I proved what I was capable of,” Derwael said. She noted that if she wants to compete at the World Championship or the Olympics, she would have to put her body under extreme strain — a risk she no longer wants to take.
“Recently, I have increasingly found myself asking: “Hasn’t it been enough? Is it worth risking my body? Ultimately, I have to conclude that it has been enough,” she said.
During her competitive gymnastics career, Derwael collected 11 medals at major championships, with her aforementioned success at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics being the highlight of her career.
In the same discipline which she won gold for, Derwael also became world champion in 2018 and 2019. The 25-year-old is also a four-time European champion.
Article written by Jana Van Nieuwenborgh
