Nina Derwael facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nina Derwael
Country represented	Belgium
Born	(2000-03-26) 26 March 2000 (age 25) Sint-Truiden, Limburg, Belgium
Spouse	Thibau Dierickx ​ (m. 2025)​
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2013–2025
Club	TK Sta Paraat Hasselt
Gym	Topsportschool Gent
Head coach(es)	Ulla Koch
Former coach(es)	Marjorie Heuls, Yves Kieffer
Choreographer	Irina Shadrina
Eponymous skills	Derwael-Fenton (E): Stalder to Tkatchev with 1/2 turn (Uneven Bars) Derwael (F): Toe-on laid-out Tkatchev with a ½ twist (Uneven Bars)
Retired	July 15, 2025
Medal record Women's artistic gymnastics Representing  Belgium Olympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo Uneven bars World Championships Gold 2018 Doha Uneven bars Gold 2019 Stuttgart Uneven bars Bronze 2017 Montreal Uneven bars Bronze 2022 Liverpool Uneven bars European Games Gold 2019 Minsk Balance beam European Championships Gold 2017 Cluj-Napoca Uneven bars Gold 2018 Glasgow Uneven bars Gold 2025 Leipzig Uneven bars Gold 2025 Leipzig Balance beam Silver 2018 Glasgow Balance beam FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd Apparatus World Cup 4 1 2 World Challenge Cup 3 0 0

Nina Derwael (born March 26, 2000) is a famous Belgian artistic gymnast. She is known for her amazing skills on the uneven bars and balance beam. Nina became an Olympic champion in 2020. She also won two World Championship titles and three European Championship titles on the uneven bars.

Nina also earned gold medals on the balance beam at the 2019 European Games and the 2025 European Championships. She proudly represented Belgium at three Olympic Games: 2016, 2020, and 2024. At the 2020 Olympics, she helped the Belgian team reach their first-ever team final. She then made history by winning Belgium's first Olympic gymnastics medal, a gold, on the uneven bars. Nina was also the first Belgian gymnast to win a medal at the World and European Championships. She retired from the sport on July 15, 2025.

Nina Derwael: A Gymnastics Star

Early Life and First Steps

Nina Derwael was born in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. Her family was very sporty! Her dad, Nico Derwael, was a professional football player. Her mom, Marijke Lammens, played handball and table tennis. Nina started artistic gymnastics when she was only two years old. This was even younger than the gym's usual age limit of three.

When Nina was eleven, she moved to Ghent. There, she trained at the national team center. She also attended a special boarding school for athletes. This helped her focus on her gymnastics dreams.

Rising Through Junior Ranks

Nina began her international junior career in 2013. She competed at the Elite Gym Massilia in France. She showed great promise from the start.

Junior Achievements

In 2014, Nina competed at the International Gymnix in Canada. She also placed fifth at the Belgian Championships. She helped the Belgian junior team earn a silver medal in a friendly competition. At the Junior European Championships, her team finished sixth. Later that year, she won a bronze medal in the all-around at the Elite Gym Massilia. She also earned a silver medal on the uneven bars at the Top Gym Tournament.

In 2015, Nina had a fantastic year. She won gold medals in the all-around, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise at the Belgian Championships. She also took home a silver medal on the vault. At the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, her team won a silver medal. Individually, she won silver on the uneven bars and bronze on the floor exercise. These junior successes prepared her for a brilliant senior career.

Becoming a Senior Gymnast

Nina became old enough to compete as a senior gymnast in 2016. She quickly made her mark on the international stage.

Olympic Debut in 2016

Nina's senior debut was at the International Gymnix. She helped her team win a gold medal. She also won gold on the uneven bars and silver on the balance beam. Unfortunately, she broke her hand while training and missed some competitions. However, she recovered and represented Belgium at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Her team finished twelfth. Nina competed in the all-around final and placed nineteenth.

First World Medal in 2017

In 2017, Nina continued to shine. She won her first European Championship gold medal on the uneven bars. This was a historic moment for Belgian gymnastics! Later that year, she competed at the World Championships. She won a bronze medal on the uneven bars. This made her the first Belgian female gymnast to win a World Championship medal.

During this competition, Nina and Georgia-Mae Fenton from Great Britain performed a new, difficult skill. This move, a Stalder to Tkatchev with a half turn, was named the "Derwael-Fenton" in the gymnastics rulebook.

Becoming a World Champion in 2018

Nina had an incredible year in 2018. She won gold medals with her team and in the all-around at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge. She also won gold on the uneven bars at the Doha World Cup. At the European Championships, she successfully defended her uneven bars title. She also won a silver medal on the balance beam.

At the 2018 World Championships, Nina made history again. She won the gold medal on the uneven bars! She scored 15.200 points, beating American superstar Simone Biles. This made Nina the first Belgian ever to win a gold medal at the World Championships. She also placed fourth in the all-around and on the balance beam.

Defending Her World Title in 2019

In 2019, Nina continued her winning streak. She won gold on the uneven bars and silver on the balance beam at the Doha World Cup. She chose to skip the European Championships to focus on helping Belgium qualify for the 2020 Olympics.

At the European Games in Minsk, Nina won a gold medal on the balance beam. Later, at the World Championships, she helped Belgium qualify a team for the 2020 Olympic Games. Individually, she defended her uneven bars World title, earning another gold medal. She became only the fifth woman in history to achieve this!

Olympic Gold in 2021

The 2020 Olympic Games were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nina returned to competition in 2021. She debuted a new skill on the uneven bars, a toe-on laid-out Tkatchev with a half twist. This move was also named after her, the "Derwael II."

At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Nina led Belgium to their first-ever team final, where they finished eighth. She then achieved her biggest dream. Nina won the gold medal on the uneven bars with a score of 15.200. This was Belgium's first Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics and their first gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics!

Overcoming Challenges (2022-2023)

After her Olympic win, Nina took a break due to knee injuries. She returned to competition at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool. There, she earned a bronze medal on the uneven bars.

In 2023, Nina faced more challenges. She missed the European Championships due to a shoulder injury. She then dislocated her shoulder during practice and had to withdraw from the World Championships. This meant Belgium did not qualify a full team for the 2024 Olympics. Nina then had to work to qualify individually.

Final Olympic Journey in 2024

Nina worked hard to recover from her shoulder surgery. She decided to focus on the balance beam to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. She competed in the 2024 World Cup series. She won a gold medal on the balance beam at the Cairo World Cup. She also earned a bronze medal at the Baku World Cup. These results secured her spot at the 2024 Olympics. At the Olympics, Nina finished fourth in the uneven bars final.

European Triumphs and Retirement in 2025

Eight months after the Paris Olympics, Nina returned to competition. She won gold on the balance beam and bronze on the uneven bars at the 2025 DTB Pokal Stuttgart. At the 2025 European Championships, Nina won two more gold medals! She took gold on both the uneven bars and the balance beam. This was her third European title on uneven bars and her first on balance beam.

On July 15, 2025, Nina Derwael announced her retirement from gymnastics. She decided to focus on her well-being after many years of intense training at the highest level.

Nina's Special Gymnastics Moves

Nina Derwael has two special moves on the uneven bars named after her in the gymnastics rulebook, called the Code of Points. These are very difficult and unique skills!

Life Outside the Gym

Nina is also a student! She studies Event Management at the Artevelde University of Applied Sciences in Ghent. She can speak Dutch, French, and English. At the 2020 Olympics, a fun photo of Nina and her teammate Maellyse Brassart doing a split with tennis player Novak Djokovic became very popular online.

After the 2020 Olympics, Nina competed on the Belgian version of Dancing with the Stars. She won the season after getting the highest score in the final! On July 12, 2025, Nina married Thibau Dierickx.

Awards and Recognition

Nina Derwael has received many awards for her amazing achievements:

• Belgian Sportswoman of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021)
• Belgian National Sports Merit Award (2018)
• Vlaamse Reus (2017–2018)
• Flemish Sportsjewel (2018)
• Ereteken van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap (2025)

Nina Derwael's Competition Record

Here is a summary of Nina Derwael's competition results throughout her career.

Competitive history of Nina Derwael at the junior level

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
2013	Elite Gym Massilia	7	8
2014	International Gymnix		15		8
	Belgian Championships		5
	Beaumont en Véron Friendly
	Junior European Championships	6
	Elite Gym Massilia				5		5
	Top Gym		14				5
2015	Belgian Championships
	Flanders Team Challenge
	European Youth Olympic Festival		4			5
	Elite Gym Massilia	4	5				5

Competitive history of Nina Derwael at the senior level

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
2016	International Gymnix		7
	European Championships	9
	Dutch Championships		6				5
	Olympic Games	12	19		R3
	Joaquim Blume Memorial
2017	Top 12 Championships	5	6
	City of Jesolo Trophy	7	12
	European Championships		7
	Flanders Team Challenge
	Paris World Challenge Cup					6
	World Championships		8
2018	DTB Pokal Team Challenge
	Doha World Cup
	Belgian Championships
	Heerenveen Friendly	4
	European Championships
	Varsenare Friendly
	World Championships		4			4
	Cottbus World Cup
2019	Doha World Cup
	Flanders Team Challenge
	European Games				4
	Worms Friendly
	World Championships	R2	5				WD
2021	Belgian Test Meet
	Osijek World Challenge Cup
	Flanders Team Challenge		4
	Olympic Games	8	6				R2
2022
	World Championships	11
2024	Cairo World Cup
	Cottbus World Cup					5
	Baku World Cup
	Olympic Games				4
2025	DTB Pokal Team Challenge	4
	European Championships	10