Paris Olympics 2024: Nina Derwael’s Determination Shines Amid Major Shoulder Injury

As the Paris Olympics 2024 is approaching, the athletes are lacing up their boots with all of their eyes set on the gold. The 23-year-old gymnast and Olympic champion, Nina Derwael, is renowned for her unparalleled skills in gymnastics on the uneven bars. After undergoing a troublesome shoulder injury, she is ready to let bygones be bygones and give it her all for Paris, a dream she won’t leave to chance.

Nina Derwael had a pitiful 2023 where she could have, with utmost ease, qualify for Paris at the World Championships in Antwerp. Fresh off her victory in Baku with a whopping 13.433, this has cemented her chances on the beam at the mega games. With incremental improvements in her game and style of play, what drives her, besides champion energy?

A class act by the phenom herself

According to the post shared by Scott Bregman on X, the gymnast Nina Derwael said, “For me, it is just as great an achievement to be in Paris as it is to win gold in Tokyo.” The thoughts behind the statement can be understood through the challenges the gymnast had to clear to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024. The gymnast would have ideally qualified last year at the World Championships, but she suffered a shoulder injury that pulled her away from her goals.

The last major stage she performed in, the World Championships in Liverpool, she only received the Bronze. This is the end of an era, was the thought that hijacked everyone’s mind post this. Nina Derwael, who is the first Belgian gymnast to become a world champion and a European champion, won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. However, enduring injuries through the last couple of years, new opponents have risen up. They all seem to make excellent progress, which suggests Nina Derwael must progress too in order to return to her older self.

Kaylia Nemour and Derwael are two peas in a pod. Recently, Nina Derwael praised Kaylia Nemour for her talent. She said, “It’s wonderful what she does, I don’t think anyone will take her off the Gold in Paris.” Nina Derwael also didn’t relinquish an opportunity to shower praises on her fellow compatriot, Kaylia Nemour. This is also an example of peak solidarity extended from one teammate to another. Talking about herself, she seemed to be happy about qualifying for the Paris Olympics as she looks to get on the bandwagon again. 

Qualification is just a springboard towards greatness

Her resilience, despite the odds stacked against her, proves what an infallible force she will be at the Olympics. With a lot of titles adorned to her name, there is huge pressure upon her. The gymnast even claimed 2023 as the “toughest year” of her career. She went through a shoulder surgery during the second half of the year, which shadowed her championship appearances for the year.

She missed the European Championship in Antalya, the World Championship in Antwerp, as well as her qualifying chance for the Olympics. However, she started off her rehab sojourn immediately and is making rapid strides there. An affliction a malignant tumor in her mom too drove her 2023 aspirations into the red. No more deferred dreams for her this year as she has punched her ticket to the grand stage, fans from all around the globe are waiting to witness Nina Derwael defend her Olympic Gold title.

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