Jutta Verkest | |
---|---|
Country represented | Belgium |
Born | [1] Mechelen, Belgium | 11 October 2005
Residence | Ghent, Belgium |
Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
Years on national team | 2017 - present (BEL) |
Club | GymFlex |
Head coach(es) | Lin Versonnen |
Jutta Verkest (born 11 October 2005) is a Belgian 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 currently lives and trains in Ghent.[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]
Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Junior | |||||||
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 | |||||
L'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 | L'International Gymnix | 6 | 4 | ||||
Senior | |||||||
2021 | Belgian Test Meet | 6 | |||||
Heerenveen Friendly | 7 | ||||||
European Championships | 10 | ||||||
FIT Challenge | 6 | 4 | |||||
Olympic Games | 8 | 23 | |||||
2022 | |||||||
European Championships | 5 | ||||||
World Championships | |||||||
2023 | DTB Pokal Team Challenge | ||||||
European Championships | 7 |