Jutta Verkest | |
---|---|
Country represented | ![]() |
Born | [1] Mechelen, Belgium | 11 October 2005
Residence | Ghent, Belgium |
Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
Years on national team | 2017 - 2024 (BEL) |
Club | GymFlex |
Gym | Topsportschool Gent |
Head coach(es) | Ulla Koch |
Former coach(es) | Marjorie Heuls, Yves Kieffer |
Retired | April 15, 2024[2] |
Jutta Verkest (born 11 October 2005) is a retired Belgian artistic gymnast. She represented Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics and was the youngest gymnast at the 2020 Olympic Games.[3][4]
Jutta Verkest was born on 11 October 2005, in Mechelen, and she began gymnastics in 2010.[5] Her mother, Mireille, is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[3] Her idol is Gabby Douglas.[1] She currently lives and trains in Ghent.[6]
At the 2016 Belgian Championships, Verkest finished seventh in the all-around and won the bronze medal on the floor exercise.[7] She then made her international debut at the 2017 FIT Challenge and finished eleventh in the all-around in the Espoir division.[8] She then competed at the 2017 Swiss Cup and helped the Belgian team win the silver medal behind Germany.[9] 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.[10] Then at the 2018 Top Gym Tournament, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars and placed eighth in the all-around.[11]
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.[12] She then competed at the L'International Gymnix where the Belgian team won the silver medal behind the United States.[13] 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.[14] At the 2020 L'International Gymnix, Verkest won a bronze medal on the uneven bars behind Konnor McClain and Skye Blakely.[15]
Verkest made her senior international debut at the 2021 Heerenveen Friendly, and she finished seventh in the all-around.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18] Verkest was only notified one hour before the all-around final started.[17] She ultimately finished tenth with a total score of 52.132.[19] 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.[20]
Verkest was selected to represent Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Maellyse Brassart, Nina Derwael, and Lisa Vaelen.[21] Had the 2020 Olympic Games not been postponed, she would have not been age-eligible for the competition due to her 2005 birth date.[22] 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."[23] She competed on all four events in the team final where the team finished eighth.[24] Individually, she qualified for the all-around final where she finished twenty-third with a total score of 51.232.[25]
Verkest competed at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, where she contributed to Belgium's fifth-place finish in the team final.[26]
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 |