“I think I am a reliable gymnast who keeps calm and, through my experience, I add value to the team,” said Vera van Pol after her selection to the Dutch team for the Paris Olympics earlier this year. Van Pol, who previously represented the Netherlands in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2021 Tokyo Olympics, had hoped to make it a third consecutive Games. She finished 7th in Rio and has earned several accolades that positioned her as a strong contender for the Dutch team.

However, her Olympic journey has taken an unexpected turn. Despite making it to Paris, a recent injury has forced her to withdraw. Gymnastics fans worldwide are stunned by the news. Van Pol, known for her dynamic routines and impeccable technique, was anticipated to be a major contender for gold. Her withdrawal has sent shockwaves through the gymnastics community, raising concerns about the impact on team dynamics and the upcoming competition.

Vera van Pol’s Olympic career sees a premature finish 

From a recent post on the gymnastics community on Reddit, the news spread that one of Netherlands’ gymnasts was injured and scheduled to be replaced. They titled the post, “Vera van Pol (NED) injured,” adding as per teamnlturnen on Instagram, “Vera van Pol has to withdraw from the Olympics because of a foot injury. She will be replaced by Tisha Volleman.” Gymnastics Now confirmed the news saying, “The Netherland’s Vera van Pol is out of #Paris2024 due to a foot injury.” On July 24th, Wednesday, Van Pol suffered a severe foot injury forcing her to leave the Dutch team.

This came after her long history of foot injuries including a stress fracture in 2019 which required ankle surgery. During that time, van Pol had a lengthy recovery journey which impacted her training and schedules. Though she got lucky as the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for 2020 were pushed to 2021, this time that’s not the case. Her replacement Tisha Volleman now has the chance of competing in the Olympics. During the Dutch Euros Trials, Volleman had an impressive scoresheet. She finished with a 12.900 on the vaults, 12.700 on uneven bars, and 11.550 on the balance beam. Additionally, she also had 12.700 on the floor exercise.

Floors is an event she did not participate in during the Spanish League in December last year. This goes to prove that Volleman took an all-around approach to her training under coaches Jeroen Jacobs and Nico Zijp. She finished with a total score of 49.850 and is expected to bring her style to the Olympics. She’s most known for her Jaeger straddled release and her front tuck on the balance beam. These are the events the Dutch team and their fans can count on her for. Though fans are heartbroken over van Pol’s withdrawal, all eyes are now on Tisha Volleman and her Olympic debut.

Gymnastics fans are heartbroken after Vera van Pol withdrawal

Vera Van Pol’s decision to withdraw has been devastating for the gymnastics world and especially the fans who were waiting to watch her performance. One fan expressed their devastation by hoping that there would be no more injuries. However, they did wish luck to Tisha Volleman who is a phenomenal and often overlooked gymnast in the Dutch team. Hopefully, this will be her moment to shine. They wrote, “No more injury’s please 🙏🏼:( but I still think that this it’s really good for Tisha I do think that she it’s kinda overlooked sometimes (more on the 2016-2021 quad) buts still she it’s very creative good!”

Another fan expressed their surprise at the disheartening news. Coming so far into the completion and after passing the trials, withdrawing from the main stage must be brutal news to accept. The fan expressed their outrage saying, “C’mon!!! 3 days before the competition!!!”

The next fan was thoroughly disheartened. Many fans follow their favorite athletes throughout the Olympic cycle. Witnessing them drop out of the race at the last minute due to reasons completely out of their control is heartbreaking. However, they too expressed that they are happy to watch Tisha Volleman compete, saying, “This makes me sad. At the same time Tisha deserves it. Sad & happy at the same time is a hard place to be.”

Other fan hoped for Van Pol’s speedy recovery. Even though it’s incredibly tough to go home so close to the Olympics, especially since she was invaluable to the Dutch team’s success. The reality has to be accepted. They wrote expressing their disappointment saying, “Hope she recovers well. I’m sure it’s tough being this close to the Games. She will surely be missed as she provided a good vault score and a solid floor score.”

This Olympic season has seen so many athletes in gymnastics alone dropping out due to injuries. During the USA trials, 3 top contenders had to drop out due to leg injuries. So one fan expressed their devastation by writing, “Dammit, I said stop getting injured, people! This is devastating for her.”

Though van Pol’s departure is a significant loss, fans are now focused on the next chapter for the Dutch team. With van Pol out of the competition, all eyes are now on Tisha Volleman. This will be Volleman’s Olympic debut, and she is expected to step into the spotlight as a key team member.