Jutta Verkest | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Mechelen, Belgium | 11 October 2005
Gymnastics career | |
Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
Country represented | ![]() (2017-2024) |
Club | GymFlex |
Gym | Topsportschool Gent |
Head coach(es) | Ulla Koch |
Former coach(es) | Marjorie Heuls, Yves Kieffer |
Retired | 2024 |
Jutta Verkest (born 11 October 2005) is a Belgian retired artistic gymnast. She represented Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics and was the youngest gymnast at the 2020 Olympic Games. [2] [3]
Jutta Verkest was born on 11 October 2005, in Mechelen, and she began gymnastics in 2010. [4] Her mother, Mireille, is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [2] Her idol is Gabby Douglas. [1] She moved to Ghent to train with the Belgian national team. [5]
At the 2016 Belgian Championships, Verkest finished seventh in the all-around and won the bronze medal on the floor exercise. [6] She then made her international debut at the 2017 FIT Challenge and finished eleventh in the all-around in the Espoir division. [7] She then competed at the 2017 Swiss Cup and helped the Belgian team win the silver medal behind Germany. [8] 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. [9] Then at the 2018 Top Gym Tournament, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars and placed eighth in the all-around. [10]
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. [11] She then competed at the L'International Gymnix where the Belgian team won the silver medal behind the United States. [12] 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. [13] At the 2020 L'International Gymnix, Verkest won a bronze medal on the uneven bars behind Konnor McClain and Skye Blakely. [14]
Verkest made her senior international debut at the 2021 Heerenveen Friendly, and she finished seventh in the all-around. [15] 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. [16] 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. [17] Verkest was only notified one hour before the all-around final started. [16] She ultimately finished tenth with a total score of 52.132. [18] 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. [19]
Verkest was selected to represent Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Maellyse Brassart, Nina Derwael, and Lisa Vaelen. [20] Had the 2020 Olympic Games not been postponed, she would have not been age-eligible for the competition due to her 2005 birth date. [21] 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." [22] She competed on all four events in the team final where the team finished eighth. [23] Individually, she qualified for the all-around final where she finished twenty-third with a total score of 51.232. [24]
Verkest competed at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, where she contributed to Belgium's fifth-place finish in the team final. [25]
Verkest announced her retirement from the sport on 15 April 2024. [26]
Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Belgian Championships | 7 | ![]() | ||||
2017 | FIT Challenge | 4 | 11 | ||||
Swiss Cup | ![]() | 18 | |||||
2018 | Tournoi International | 4 | ![]() | 8 | |||
Top Gym | 8 | ![]() | 7 | ||||
2019 | City of Jesolo Trophy | ![]() | 26 | ||||
International Gymnix | ![]() | 8 | 4 | ||||
Belgian Championships | 4 | 4 | ![]() | ![]() | 4 | ||
FIT Challenge | ![]() | 21 | |||||
European Youth Olympic Festival | 6 | 14 | 6 | ||||
Elite Gym Massilia | 43 | ||||||
Top Gym | ![]() | 6 | ![]() | 4 | |||
2020 | International Gymnix | ![]() | 6 | ![]() | 4 |
Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Belgian Test Meet | 6 | |||||
Heerenveen Friendly | 7 | ||||||
European Championships | 10 | ||||||
FIT Challenge | ![]() | 6 | 4 | ![]() | |||
Olympic Games | 8 | 23 | |||||
2022 | Belgian Championships | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Ghent Friendly | 4 | ![]() | |||||
European Championships | 5 | ||||||
World Championships | R3 | ||||||
2023 | DTB Pokal Team Challenge | ![]() | 7 | 6 | |||
European Championships | 7 | ||||||
Belgian Championships | ![]() | ![]() | |||||
World Championships | 17 |