The 2023 European Championships was a exceptional showdown between the British and Italian gymnasts, however I couldn’t assist however really feel the most important storyline was what the gymnasts from the Netherlands had completed. The Dutch program had success in 4 completely different areas and I needed to spotlight every of them.
This text additionally has a Half II which is a particular profile of Naomi Visser.
Sanne Wevers wins a gold medal on beam
This was essentially the most excessive profile and most evident spotlight the Dutch program achieved on the 2023 European Championships. The Netherlands gained gold, and did it due to the contributions of its biggest gymnast in program historical past. As a result of Sanne is 31 years previous, it furthered the trigger that there’s nothing stopping growing older veterans from taking part in a number one function within the sport and was a victory for gymnastics even exterior the Dutch program.
However for the Netherlands, this particular gold medal was completely important as a result of it furthered the legacy of their most seen and excessive profile gymnast. Sanne is the poster baby of the Dutch program. She is their most recognizable title, their greatest advertising and marketing software and offers a growth in media publicity together with attracting curiosity from informal followers.
Sanne is the uncommon instance the place what is nice for a single gymnast is paradoxically good for each gymnast in your complete program. Her success promotes your complete program as a complete. On the 2023 European Championships, the Dutch acquired precisely that with Sanne Wevers.
The contributions of Naomi Visser and Eythora Thorsdottir
For a program like Dutch ladies’s gymnastics, having a profitable and longtime veteran like Sanne Wevers is a superb asset for this system. However when growing older veterans dominate a program that isn’t being managed accurately, their success turns into a double edged sword. When applications endure stagnation and are struggling to develop a brand new technology of robust juniors, growing older veterans are inevitably tasked with being compelled to hold the workload within the absence of younger expertise.
However by this level this system is merely masking its issues and is prioritizing short-term success whereas betting towards its personal future. Which is why most examples of iconic applications in ladies’s gymnastics that suffered a fall from grace had one pattern in frequent. Of their final years of success their strongest outcomes got here from gymnasts who have been thought-about growing older veterans.
The Dutch program is having success from an growing older veteran like Sanne Wevers, however is doing so with none of the warning indicators that her success is coming on the direct value of growing youthful expertise. Eythora Thorsdottir (sixth place) and Naomi Visser (Seventh-Place) each had robust ends in the All-Round standings. At 21 years previous Visser remains to be on the younger facet of the game, whereas 24 12 months previous Thorsdottir is in a center technology the place she will’t be thought-about one of many younger weapons, however isn’t sufficiently old to be lumped into the identical class because the oldest tier of gymnasts. All whereas the beforehand talked about 31 12 months previous Sanne Wevers gained a medal.
This multi-generational strategy highlights a program the place every thing is in good concord. This system is retaining the providers of a useful Sanne Wevers, with out feeling like it’s betting towards its personal future with the intention to help her. Having its high gymnasts characterize three completely different generations displays a program that may take any particular gymnast, and get the perfect out of her no matter which stage of her profession she at present is in. The Dutch program at present seems like a effectively oiled machine the place the cylinders will preserve firing at this time, tomorrow, and lengthy after that. As in the event that they have been driving a automotive and by no means neglecting to maintain the gasoline tank full.
Profitable a Group Medal
If Dutch gymnastics provides the looks of a program the place it’s having success on all fronts and has the traits of a program the place its lineup is top of the range, their medal within the crew competitors on the 2023 European Championships validates stated notion. Such a medal would solely be potential if the Dutch have been at present on the high of their sport. In an period the place Italian and British gymnastics are the dominant European powers, everybody else is simply in a position to sulk of their unluckiness of not being blessed with the presence of an unstoppable duo of twins.
Mixed with the ban on Russian athletes, Europe was left within the state the place the 2 applications who would battle for gold and silver was a forgone conclusion, whereas the remainder of the sphere was going to battle one another for the final remaining medal within the crew competitors. Ultimately it wasn’t actually shut.
Sure, the British beat the Italians by a snug margin, after which the Italians beat the Dutch by a snug margin. However when it got here to third place the Dutch had a margin of victory that was better than the subsequent 4 groups mixed. The success of Visser, Thorsdottir, and Wevers within the particular person occasions was a sign that the Dutch lineup was robust. However a couple of days beforehand the outcomes of the Group Competitors had already confirmed that past all doubt. Which begs the query if the 2023 European Championships lineup was solely the tip of the iceberg, and the Dutch program was doing as glorious of a job in growing its “B-Group” because the A-Group lineup it had despatched to Antalya-2023.
However there’s one other dynamic at play.
At 17.5 million folks the Netherlands are a considerably smaller nation than Italy (59 million) Nice Britain (67 million), France (67 million), and Germany (83 million). Girls’s gymnastics is a sport the place having a big inhabitants base is important to reaching main success. On the Group-1 stage the Netherlands are the smallest nation to qualify to Group Finals on a number of events since Belarus did so throughout the 1993-1996 Olympic quad. However this was an period the place ex-Communist athletes from Japanese Europe have been nonetheless competing in massive numbers and the transition to the game being dominated by massive nations was solely simply starting.
For the Dutch program, the success they’ve had is commendable given their small dimension. However they’re additionally a program the place each profitable competitors is important. Giant nations can endure a nasty Olympic cycle, however get better shortly from their errors. Applications representing smaller nations are rather more weak to a lack of momentum as a result of they’ve fewer sources to construct up a big pool of depth.
If the Netherlands have been the smallest nation to qualify to a number of Group Finals since 1996, the second smallest nation was Romania. No nation discovered this lesson extra painfully than the historic Romanian program who after being one of many high powers in ladies’s gymnastics for 40 years, suffered a rut within the aftermath of the 2012 Olympics and has struggled to get out of it ever since.
Small, profitable applications just like the Netherlands dwell and die from competitors to competitors. Fueling their final profitable competitors into the subsequent, below a “survive and advance” mentality as if this have been a postseason elimination-tournament. Their future turns into unsure if that cycle of success ever will get damaged. For the Netherlands, success isn’t a luxurious, however a necessity. What the Dutch completed on the 2023 European Championships has ensured that this program is right here to remain and can stay aggressive in the long run.
Arising quietly behind the British and the Italians who appeared to have all of the flash and massive title icons, the bronze medal within the crew competitors was an announcement win that the Dutch are right here to remain.
The rise of Naomi Visser
To conclude this text, I need to discuss Naomi Visser. From the second Sanne Wevers gained a gold medal on the 2016 Olympics, the urgent query turned “what comes subsequent?” No legend can compete without end and if Dutch gymnastics needed to proceed its rise, it wanted to determine how a program can win an Olympic gold medal with out letting that be the climax of their program id.
It was by no means a query of changing Sanne Wevers, however bringing the Dutch program to a degree the place it might proceed to thrive even when Sanne was now not round to help it. Wevers is a legend in Dutch gymnastics historical past, however for the subsequent technology of gymnasts it would all the time be a difficult process being the one anticipated to fill the footwear of a legend. However Naomi Visser may be the gymnast who’s able to doing it.
I’ve so many constructive issues to say about Naomi that to avoid wasting on the phrase depend I ended up making a completely separate article devoted completely to her. There are just too many good issues to say about Visser. However what’s essential is the next:
Naomi’s stat strains are absurd. Within the final three main competitions on the European Championships and World Championships stage, she has appeared in 60% of the All-Round and Equipment Finals. She has competed All-Round in her final eight main competitions and made All-Round Finals on all eight events. The final time she failed to achieve the top-10 of the All-Round standings in both finals or throughout the {qualifications} stage was 2019.
Naomi is arguably the perfect gymnast within the sport who has not but gained a medal in a significant particular person occasion on the European Championships, World Championships, or Olympics. However as an athlete, she’s as more likely to qualify into the top-10 as any of the common medal contenders. Visser is on the level the place it’s now truthful to explain her as one of many main figures within the sport. She is a gymnast who will make sure the Netherlands are effectively represented within the particular person occasions even when Sanne is now not round.
Naomi Visser is likely one of the Netherlands most respected property and the 2023 European Championships was the competitors that has lastly put her over the sting. The potential of this gymnast can now now not be denied. With a 4th place end on ground that is thus far the closest Naomi has come to a medal in a significant, particular person occasion. For the third consecutive time she certified to three of 5 particular person occasions in a significant competitors.
Doing that after may be dismissed as a fluke and doing it twice is a sample, however doing that thrice in a row makes her one of the vital profitable gymnasts within the sport. All whereas Naomi is 21 years previous which is the perfect age for a gymnast to witness her profession all of the sudden skyrocket. Naomi Visser’s private profile has a lot in frequent with that of Angelina Melnikova, Rebeca Andrade, Alice Kinsella, Martina Maggio, Jordan Chiles, Coline Devillard, Zsofia Kovacs, and Shilese Jones proper earlier than their careers took off.
If ever there was a second the place Naomi Visser’s profession crossed a threshold and gymnastics can now not ignore her, however now should respect her, the 2023 European Championships was it.
In a single competitors the Dutch program was in a position to embolden the legacy of their biggest gymnast of all time, gained a medal within the crew competitors, and established that they’ve gifted gymnasts who deliver a dominating presence into the person occasions. All whereas doing it with a multi-generational lineup that ensures their success is coming in a manner that can be sustainable long run.
The Dutch program had the proper competitors on the 2023 European Championships. A part of that perfection is placing themselves able the place the Netherlands look poised to do it once more in 2024 and even 2028.
Hyperlink to: Naomi Visser article
