Gymnast Nina Derwael reflects on reason for retirement
Belgian gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Nina Derwael explained her decision to retire during a well-attended press conference in Ghent on Wednesday. The 2021 Olympic gymnastics champion made the decision early last month after the European Championships in Leipzig, where she won double gold. "I've achieved everything I wanted to achieve," she explained.
The announcement of her retirement came as a surprise on Tuesday morning. The 25-year-old Derwael herself admitted that the thought of retiring only started to cross her mind last month.
Career highlights
With European titles in 2017 and 2018, world titles in 2018 and 2019 and the crowning achievement of Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, Derwael reigned for years as the queen of the uneven bars. But injuries and setbacks in the years that followed made it increasingly difficult for her to maintain that level. Even so, she made a strong comeback, finishing an impressive fourth at the Paris Olympic Games last year after a difficult preparation. And in May, she capped off her career with double European gold in Leipzig.
“My best results, at least on paper, were achieved up to and including Tokyo,” Derwael reflected. “But I’m most proud of my journey over the past two years.” That journey included shoulder surgery in September 2023, which caused her to miss the World Championships in Antwerp and put her qualification for Paris at risk.
"I knew what I was capable of, and I achieved it"
“It’s been quite a process,” says Derwael. “My body started to resist a bit more in recent years. I had to take it much more into account. This also gave me a voice in my training, and I was involved in every decision. That took some getting used to, but it makes the satisfaction much greater afterward. I’ve also become more emotional during competitions in recent years. I felt much less emotional until Tokyo. I’m very grateful for those last years. Those are the stories I want to tell and build on.”
When asked if she dreamed of winning gold medals as a child, Derwael responded, “That was too far away. I dreamed of doing gymnastics with a Belgian flag on my leotard. Those were the international competitions. Once I’d achieved that dream, I wanted to compete in European and World Championships. Then came the Olympic Games, a dream I was able to fulfill at the age of sixteen (in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, ed.). That’s where my dream grew. From then on, medals were the goal. Competing for gold. In the years that followed, winning became almost self-evident. I knew what I was capable of, and I achieved it. After Tokyo, things didn’t come so naturally, and I learned to work incredibly hard for it.”
Reassessing her future
Following her powerful performance in Paris, Derwael initially spoke of continuing to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The European Championships even had her thinking about this October’s World Championships in Jakarta. But once the adrenaline wore off, she reconsidered.
“After the European Championships, I also talked about the World Championships (in Jakarta in October, ed.) and the Games in LA. Back then, I didn’t yet realise what I actually wanted. I was in a euphoric state. Back home, I put everything back into perspective and came to my decision. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working out physically at the Elite Sports Hall, but I don’t feel like doing any more exercises indoors. For the first time, I feel like I don’t want to be hanging from that bridge. That gave me the certainty that I made the right choice.”
As she steps away from competition, what will she notes that she will miss the adrenaline during competitions. “As top athletes, we’re all a bit of adrenaline junkies. Nothing will ever come close to a good exercise at the right time. That feeling of stress and release.”
#FlandersNewsService | Belgian gymnast Nina Derwael receives flowers at a press conference regarding her retirement as a professional athlete, Wednesday 16 July 2025 in Ghent. © BELGA PHOTO KURT DESPLENTER
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