Belgian weightlifter Nina Sterckx becomes world champion

26/03/2019

Thanks to 16-year-old Nina Sterckx from Laarne, Belgium adds a new top sportswoman to its list. It can be no coincidence that the name of the strongest teenager in the world Sterckx has its origins in the Dutch word meaning strong. She won the gold medal in the IWF Youth World Championships in Las Vegas, California. A first for our country.

Never before did Belgium send a delegation to this sports event. No one ever imagined that Nina would immediately do so well, least of all Nina. The two disciplines combined gave her a grand total of 175 kg! She managed 79 kg in the Snatch and 96 kg in the Clean and Jerk. In doing so, she left behind two competitors by three and four kg respectively. According to Nina, she could have avoided a few mistakes and done even better, had she been a little less tense.

Unfortunately, she didn't get the chance to celebrate her incredible performance. The day after her world title, she returned to the sports hall to prepare for the European Championships in Georgia. From there, she hopes to continue to the Olympics. Her coach, former top weightlifter Tom Goegebuer, will do all he can to get his pupil there. This clearly takes considerable effort and sacrifice: early nights, saying no to parties, training rather than relaxation during the holidays … Besides her trainer’s encouragement, Nina is also supported towards new success by her incredible motivation, perseverance, support from school and the many text messages from fellow students.