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Jutta Verkest

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Jutta Verkest
Country represented Belgium
Born (2005-10-11) 11 October 2005 (age 19)[1]
Mechelen, Belgium
ResidenceGhent, Belgium
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team2017 - 2024 (BEL)
ClubGymFlex
GymTopsportschool Gent
Head coach(es)Ulla Koch
Former coach(es)Marjorie Heuls, Yves Kieffer
RetiredApril 15, 2024[2]

Jutta Verkest (born 11 October 2005) is a retired Belgian artistic gymnast. She represented Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics and was the youngest gymnast at the 2020 Olympic Games.[3][4]

Personal life

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Jutta Verkest was born on 11 October 2005, in Mechelen, and she began gymnastics in 2010.[5] Her mother, Mireille, is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[3] Her idol is Gabby Douglas.[1] She currently lives and trains in Ghent.[6]

Junior career

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At the 2016 Belgian Championships, Verkest finished seventh in the all-around and won the bronze medal on the floor exercise.[7] She then made her international debut at the 2017 FIT Challenge and finished eleventh in the all-around in the Espoir division.[8] She then competed at the 2017 Swiss Cup and helped the Belgian team win the silver medal behind Germany.[9] At the 2018 Tournoi International, she finished fourth in the all-around with a total score of 50.267. She also won the silver medal in the uneven bars event final behind Swiss gymnast Lena Bickel.[10] Then at the 2018 Top Gym Tournament, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars and placed eighth in the all-around.[11]

Verkest competed at the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy, and the Belgian junior team won the bronze medal behind Russia and the United States. Individually, she finished twenty-sixth in the all-around.[12] She then competed at the L'International Gymnix where the Belgian team won the silver medal behind the United States.[13] At the 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, Verkest competed with Charlotte Beydts and Margaux Dandois, and they finished sixth. Individually, Verkest finished fourteenth in the all-around final and sixth in the uneven bars final.[14] At the 2020 L'International Gymnix, Verkest won a bronze medal on the uneven bars behind Konnor McClain and Skye Blakely.[15]

Senior career

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Verkest made her senior international debut at the 2021 Heerenveen Friendly, and she finished seventh in the all-around.[16] She was initially Belgium's reserve athlete for the 2021 European Championships, but when Nina Derwael withdrew due to a minor foot injury, Verkest was sent.[17] After the qualification round, she was the third reserve for the all-around final, but she was added to the competition after Giulia Steingruber withdrew.[18] Verkest was only notified one hour before the all-around final started.[17] She ultimately finished tenth with a total score of 52.132.[19] She then competed at the FIT Challenge and helped the Belgian team win the silver medal behind France. Individually, she placed sixth in the all-around and fourth on the uneven bars, and she won the bronze medal on the floor exercise behind Roxana Popa and Maria Ceplinschi.[20]

Verkest was selected to represent Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Maellyse Brassart, Nina Derwael, and Lisa Vaelen.[21] Had the 2020 Olympic Games not been postponed, she would have not been age-eligible for the competition due to her 2005 birth date.[22] Before the Olympics, she stated, "The postponement of the Games was positive for me. I have come to gain experience with an eye to Paris in 2024."[23] She competed on all four events in the team final where the team finished eighth.[24] Individually, she qualified for the all-around final where she finished twenty-third with a total score of 51.232.[25]

Verkest competed at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, where she contributed to Belgium's fifth-place finish in the team final.[26]

Competitive history

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Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2016 Belgian Championships 7 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2017 FIT Challenge 4 11
Swiss Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 18
2018 Tournoi International 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 8
Top Gym 8 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7
2019 City of Jesolo Trophy 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 26
L'International Gymnix 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 8 4
Belgian Championships 4 4 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 4
FIT Challenge 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 21
European Youth Olympic Festival 6 14 6
Elite Gym Massilia 43
Top Gym 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 4
2020 L'International Gymnix 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4
Senior
2021 Belgian Test Meet 6
Heerenveen Friendly 7
European Championships 10
FIT Challenge 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 4 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Olympic Games 8 23
2022
European Championships 5
World Championships
2023 DTB Pokal Team Challenge 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
European Championships 7

References

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  1. ^ a b "CV Jutta Verkest". Gymfed (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  2. ^ @jutta.verkest (15 April 2024). "Every story has an end, but in life every ending is just a new beginning" – via Instagram.
  3. ^ a b "PORTRET. Jutta Verkest (15) is de allerjongste turnster op de Olympische Spelen en "een vrolijke spring in 't veld", maar ook: "In Congo heeft ze gezien wat voor kansen ze hier krijgt"". HLN (in Dutch). 27 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  4. ^ "JO 2020: Nina Derwael and Jutta Verkest in the final of the general competition". News in 24 English. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Verkest Jutta". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  6. ^ Van de Sande, Stijn (25 September 2021). "Mechelse gymnaste Jutta Verkest in de bloemetjes gezet". GVA (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  7. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (9 May 2016). "2016 Belgian Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  8. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (13 June 2017). "2017 FIT Challenge Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  9. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (4 November 2017). "2017 Swiss Cup Juniors Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  10. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (17 November 2018). "2018 Tournoi International Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  11. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 December 2018). "2018 Top Gym Tournament Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  12. ^ "USA wins senior team title at 2019 Jesolo Trophy, captures 14 other medals". USA Gymnastics. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  13. ^ "International Gymnix 2019 Team Awards for Category: JUNIOR CUP" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  14. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (30 July 2019). "2019 European Youth Olympic Festival Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  15. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (9 March 2020). "2020 International Gymnix Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  16. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (4 April 2021). "2021 Heerenveen Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Jutta Verkest (15) geeft visitekaartje af met 10e plaats in EK-finale turnen". Sporza (in Dutch). 23 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Jutta Verkest als reserve opgevist voor allroundfinale op EK turnen". Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 23 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  19. ^ "9th EUROPEAN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Women Artistic Gymnastics All-Around Final" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  20. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 July 2021). "2021 FIT Challenge Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  21. ^ "Team Belgym Naar Tokyo" [Team Belgium to Tokyo]. GoBelgym (in Dutch). 3 July 2021.
  22. ^ Tétrault-farber, Gabrielle (25 July 2021). "Gymnastics-Too young in 2020? Olympic postponement shines spotlight on next generation". Reuters. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Olympics 2020: Meet Belgium's gymnastics team". The Brussels Times. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics: Women's Team Final – Results" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics Women's All-Around Final Results" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Tokyo 2020. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  26. ^ "2022 European Championships results". European Gymnastics. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
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