Nina Derwael "back in business" and on cusp of Olympic quota
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic uneven bars gold medallist has overcome a major shoulder injury to come within striking distance of Paris 2024.
“Back in business.”
With those three little words in an Instagram post featuring her with the Cairo World Cup balance beam gold medal around her neck, Tokyo 2020 Olympic uneven bars champion Nina Derwael of Belgium announced the rebirth of her Olympic dreams.
The 23-year-old underwent a major shoulder surgery in the second half of 2023, not only missing out on a home World Championships in Antwerp but also throwing her third trip to the Olympic Games seemingly in jeopardy.
But earlier this year, Derwael and the Belgian national federation announced she would compete at the World Cup events on the balance beam and floor exercise with an aim to secure a quota spot to the Games.
“Fortunately, there is more than the uneven bars, that exercise is not yet ready,” Derwael said in a press release announcing her participation in events outside her specialty. “I am excited to be well-surrounded, pain-free and competitive again. Mentally, I am stronger than ever.”
Derwael had previously called 2023 the “toughest year” of her career “both inside and outside the gym.”
But with her gold medal win in Cairo and a subsequent fifth-place finish at the World Cup in Cottbus, which secured her a maximum 30 Olympic qualifying points as the highest eligible athlete, Derwael suddenly finds herself on the cusp of earning a spot for Paris 2024.
This week at the third qualifying event in Baku, Azerbaijan, Derwael has a chance to cement her position.
“I hope to be sure [of Olympic qualification] after three World Cups,” Derwael said, according to De Standaard. “I can better prepare for the European Championships. If I do not force Olympic qualification in the World Cups, I will have to boost myself to compete the all-around at the European Championships.”
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
'Baby steps' on bars
If she is able to secure an Olympic quota through the World Cups, the European Championships in early May in Rimini, Italy, will be an important competition.
“If I can do it, I will be at the European Championships for bars and beam,” she explained. “Then, I want to test the first version of my uneven bars exercise at that European Championships. It is currently in the ‘baby steps.’”
The two-time World uneven bars champion has only been back training on the bars since early February.
“I feel that I got more confidence every day and find my rhythm, but the endurance and muscles still have to come back,” Derwael said of her progress on the event. “We knew in advance that these World Cups would be a limitation for my progress on the bars.
“The elements that I have not practiced for a long time, I have to wait until I am back in the training room in Ghent,” she continued. “I can put them above a pit or mats.”
Managing expectations
From the start of her return to training, Derwael has focused on Paris but knowing that the timeline works against her.
"My eyes are still on Paris, that hasn’t changed," said Derwael, according to sporza.be, adding, “We are not trying to push rehabilitation faster than necessary. The health and safety of my shoulder have priority over being competitive fit as soon as possible."
As the Belgian's focus intensifies on Paris, she can’t help but think about Los Angeles in 2028.
“It’s hard to say how high I can aim. Paris will come soon after my operation,” Derwael said. “I think I should not set my ambitions too high for these Games and aim more at 2028 to get back to the bars.”