The 2023 European Championships was a exceptional showdown between the British and Italian gymnasts, however I couldn’t assist however really feel the largest storyline was what the gymnasts from the Netherlands had achieved. The Dutch program had success in 4 completely different areas and I wished 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 probably the most excessive profile and most blatant spotlight the Dutch program achieved on the 2023 European Championships. The Netherlands received gold, and did it because of the contributions of its best gymnast in program historical past. As a result of Sanne is 31 years previous, it furthered the trigger that there’s nothing stopping growing old veterans from taking part in a number one position within the sport and was a victory for gymnastics even outdoors the Dutch program.
However for the Netherlands, this particular gold medal was completely very 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 device and gives a increase in media publicity together with attracting curiosity from informal followers.
Sanne is the uncommon instance the place what is sweet for a single gymnast is paradoxically good for each gymnast in the complete program. Her success promotes the complete program as a complete. On the 2023 European Championships, the Dutch received 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 old veterans dominate a program that isn’t being managed appropriately, their success turns into a double edged sword. When applications endure stagnation and are struggling to develop a brand new technology of sturdy juniors, growing old 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 development in widespread. Of their final years of success their strongest outcomes got here from gymnasts who had been thought-about growing old veterans.
The Dutch program is having success from an growing old 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 sturdy leads to the All-Round standings. At 21 years previous Visser remains to be on the younger aspect of the game, whereas 24 yr previous Thorsdottir is in a center technology the place she will be able to’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 yr previous Sanne Wevers received a medal.
This multi-generational strategy highlights a program the place all the pieces is in excellent concord. This system is retaining the providers of a useful Sanne Wevers, with out feeling like it’s betting towards its personal future with a view to help her. Having its prime gymnasts symbolize three completely different generations displays a program that may take any particular gymnast, and get one of the best out of her no matter which stage of her profession she at the moment is in. The Dutch program at the moment seems like a effectively oiled machine the place the cylinders will maintain firing at present, tomorrow, and lengthy after that. As in the event that they had been driving a automotive and by no means neglecting to maintain the gasoline tank full.
Profitable a Staff Medal
If Dutch gymnastics offers 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 high-quality, their medal within the staff competitors on the 2023 European Championships validates stated notion. Such a medal would solely be doable if the Dutch had been at the moment on the prime of their sport. In an period the place Italian and British gymnastics are the dominant European powers, everybody else is barely 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 sector was going to battle one another for the final remaining medal within the staff competitors. In the long run it wasn’t actually shut.
Sure, the British beat the Italians by a cushty margin, after which the Italians beat the Dutch by a cushty margin. However when it got here to third place the Dutch had a margin of victory that was larger than the following 4 groups mixed. The success of Visser, Thorsdottir, and Wevers within the particular person occasions was a sign that the Dutch lineup was sturdy. However just a few days beforehand the outcomes of the Staff 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-Staff” because the A-Staff lineup it had despatched to Antalya-2023.
However there’s one other dynamic at play.
At 17.5 million individuals 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 vital to attaining main success. On the Group-1 stage the Netherlands are the smallest nation to qualify to Staff 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 had been nonetheless competing in giant numbers and the transition to the game being dominated by giant international locations 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 vital. Giant international locations can endure a foul Olympic cycle, however get better rapidly from their errors. Applications representing smaller international locations are way 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 had been the smallest nation to qualify to a number of Staff 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 prime 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 following, below a “survive and advance” mentality as if this had 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 achieved on the 2023 European Championships has ensured that this program is right here to remain and can stay aggressive in the long run.
Developing quietly behind the British and the Italians who appeared to have all of the flash and large title icons, the bronze medal within the staff competitors was an announcement win that the Dutch are right here to remain.
The rise of Naomi Visser
To conclude this text, I wish to discuss Naomi Visser. From the second Sanne Wevers received a gold medal on the 2016 Olympics, the urgent query grew to become “what comes subsequent?” No legend can compete eternally and if Dutch gymnastics wished 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 identification.
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 not round to help it. Wevers is a legend in Dutch gymnastics historical past, however for the following technology of gymnasts it should at all times be a difficult job being the one anticipated to fill the sneakers of a legend. However Naomi Visser is perhaps the gymnast who’s able to doing it.
I’ve so many optimistic issues to say about Naomi that to avoid wasting on the phrase depend I ended up making a wholly 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 traces 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 succeed in the top-10 of the All-Round standings in both finals or throughout the {qualifications} stage was 2019.
Naomi is arguably one of the best gymnast within the sport who has not but received 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 honest 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 not round.
Naomi Visser is among the Netherlands most useful property and the 2023 European Championships was the competitors that has lastly put her over the sting. The potential of this gymnast can now not be denied. With a 4th place end on ground that is up to now 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 when will be dismissed as a fluke and doing it twice is a sample, however doing that thrice in a row makes her one of the crucial profitable gymnasts within the sport. All whereas Naomi is 21 years previous which is the perfect age for a gymnast to witness her profession out of the blue skyrocket. Naomi Visser’s private profile has a lot in widespread 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 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 best gymnast of all time, received a medal within the staff competitors, and established that they’ve proficient gymnasts who carry a dominating presence into the person occasions. All whereas doing it with a multi-generational lineup that ensures their success is coming in a method that shall 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
