Nina Derwael takes third place in Baku and qualifies for the Paris Olympics
Competing on the beam, the Belgian gymnast added a superb medal to her list of achievements just a few months before the start of the next Olympic Games.
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, was the venue for the third round of the Gymnastics World Cup. Already guaranteed a ticket to the Paris Olympics, Nina Derwael approached her beam final with liberating determination. She put in a remarkable performance to win a well deserved bronze medal. With her new-found confidence, she is about to return to Belgium, where the focus is now entirely on preparing for the Olympics.
"It's been a dream weekend," Derwael said after her performance as she described her relief at having taken the stress out of Olympic qualification. This relief allowed her to be bolder in her approach to the final, aiming for a higher starting value with a calculated risk. Despite a slightly imperfect landing after the jump, Derwael put in an excellent performance, achieving her best beam score since her return to competition.
Now that Derwael has achieved the goal of Olympic qualification, she is fully focused on preparing for the Paris Games. In the coming months, Derwael will be able to focus on fine-tuning her routines, particularly on beam, while aiming to regain her optimum level on the other apparatus.
The 23-year-old from Sint-Truiden is on the rise and has high ambitions for the next Olympics.