Squashing Retirement Rumors, 2X Olympic Gymnastics Star Set to Cement Her Legacy in Elite Ranks

31 years of age, a long history of foot injuries, and absence in the Paris Olympics despite punching a ticket—so many reasons to give up on a professional gymnastics career! Now add the stereotype regarding pregnancy! Yes, each element may widely pose sufficient to send someone out of the discussion, pushing into retirement. But the Dutch legend is nowhere near giving up on her quest to uplift her position in the glory book of gymnastics. She is up and dreams of reaching a higher position after spending a memorable chapter of her life. Who is she? 

Any hard guess? Well, the name is Vera Dorothea Wilhelmina van Pol, widely regarded as Vera van Pol. The artistic gymnast has seen many years in her professional career. In fact, her first medal in the Dutch Championships came in 2014, in the all-around category. And after 11 years, she has yet to lose her hunger for success on the mat. Also, she’s willing to return, despite the ‘difficult process,’ to further solidify her elite status. But wait, what is the difficult process?

On February 7, Lisa Deen, the freelance sports journalist, shared an update on X. Written in Dutch, the update read, “Gymnast Vera van Pol is pregnant, she announced on Instagram. She is due in August. “All top sports mothers are an example to me. I also want to take on this challenge and return to the highest level after the pregnancy,” she writes.” Therefore, at 31, Vera van Pol is nurturing a hope to make a comeback on the mat after her pregnancy. And we have absolutely no question whatsoever about her intentions!

Additionally, Vera van Pol’s determination not to prolong her absence from the mat further solidifies her position. A detailed note should help. Last year in July, Vera van Pol entered the Dutch Olympic gymnastics trials to confirm her place in the third Olympics of her career. Four years ago, she made a brave attempt in all four events of artistic gymnastics. But her effort wasn’t sufficient to make her journey memorable in the Tokyo Olympics. So, in 2024, she had to give her everything for her probable last appearance in the Olympics. 

So last year in the Dutch Olympic gymnastics trials, Vera van Pol secured the top position in the vault event and earned second-best scores in floor exercise and all-around events. Remember, she was 30 by then. She didn’t feel any load for her age, though. Almost everything fell into place for her, but the tune broke down during the training session for Paris. The news came explaining her severe foot injury and the known enemy (she suffered a similar injury in 2019) that disturbed her journey time and again. 

Meanwhile, Vera had to give away her position from the national gymnastics team scheduled to compete in Paris, potentially concluding her Olympic career. Since then, she has yet to compete in a gymnastics competition. However, her latest post claims that she will make a comeback on the mat. But if she does, she will join a long list of gymnastics moms who came back after giving birth. Here are a few examples!

Gymnastics mums who didn’t give up because of the stereotype

Increasing age and post-pregnancy issues are a few of the most common stereotypes active in women’s artistic gymnastics! However, Vera van Pol is someone with the flag to prove those stereotypes baseless. And she has a few big names in the fight. Such as? Laura Gallagher. Last year, the 34-year-old announced a comeback to the trampoline gymnastics sport after having an unplanned Caesarean section in January 2023. She had a plan ready to contest in the Birmingham World Championships, scheduled for November 2023. However, later, she announced her retirement in October 2024 and joined the trampolining coaching lineup at Bridgewater and Taunton College. Another example?

Larisa Latynina. The Russian gymnastics legend is among the towering sports personalities. However, her four-month pregnancy couldn’t stop her from competing in the 1958 World Championships. A brave example, right? But here comes another stunning fact. Larisa didn’t inform her coach about her pregnancy, fearing the probable outcomes. There are a few more names to inspire the gymnasts who are planning to make their comeback after giving birth. Well, the names are Oksana Chusovitina and Aliya Mustafina. Both returned to the Doha World Artistic Gymnastics Championships after becoming moms in 2018. So, see, the list of moms in gymnasts is just increasing and we hope Vera van Pol will be added to it soon!