Gymnastics
The World Cup match in Cairo is immediately of great importance for Belgium and Nina Derwael. “We continue to go all out for three Olympic tickets,” says top sports manager Ruben Neyens.
The World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp for its own people was a flop. At least for the women, because no gymnast could qualify for the Olympic Games later this year. In theory, a maximum of three girls can now qualify. This can be done through the four upcoming World Cup matches and then through the European Championships in May in Rimini, Italy. After Cairo there will be a World Cup in Cottbus (Germany, February), in Baku (Azerbaijan, March) and in Doha (Qatar, April).
“We can send three more gymnasts to Paris. That will not be easy, but it remains our goal,” says Ruben Neyens, top sports manager at Gymfed (Flanders Gymnastics Federation).
Due to Lisa Vaelen’s illness, Team Belgym has no one on the jump. Our country does participate in the other three disciplines. Yesterday Erika Pinxten and Maellyse Brassart took action on the bars (they did not make it to the final), today the qualifications for the beam (Nina Derwael and Pinxten) and the floor exercise (Pinxten) follow. Originally, Derwael was also scheduled for the floor exercise, but it turned out to be too early for her.
There are eight Olympic tickets to win, two per device. This will be followed by one more for the best all-rounder at the European Championships. Anyone who has already qualified for Paris does not count in the race for the last tickets.
No bridge exercise yet
Derwael initially aimed for the European Championships, but she has now been deemed fit for the World Cups. After 472 days without competition, she is now making her comeback in the Egyptian capital.
Neyens: “Nina has been given the green light on a medical and physical level and that is important, not least for herself. This competitive experience will be good for her. A bridge exercise is not yet an option, as her shoulder cannot yet handle that impact. The focus is therefore on the beam.”
Interim evaluation
“Our only goal is Olympic qualification. We believe very strongly in those World Cups, otherwise we would have better take the time with Nina to thoroughly prepare for the European Championship,” Neyens explains. “There are positives and negatives to that approach, and we will evaluate after two games. If it doesn’t work out in Egypt and Germany, we will skip the last World Cups and focus fully on the European Championship. But if the ticket were already received after three World Cups, Nina would no longer have to participate in the fourth match and the European Championship. So we look at it from week to week.”
