| Lieke Wevers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1991-09-17)17 September 1991 (age 34) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Netherlands(2009–2021, 2024–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Topsport Noord Heerenveen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Headcoach(es) | Vincent Wevers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Music | 2015–16: "Nuvole Bianche" byLudovico Einaudi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Lieke Wevers (born 17 September 1991)[1] is a Dutchartistic gymnast. She was the first Dutch woman to win a European title in gymnastics: at the2015 European Games, she won the gold medal on thebalance beam and was the bronze medalistwith the Dutch team, in theindividual all-around, and onfloor exercise. She competed at the2016,2020, and2024 Summer Olympics, qualifying for the all-around finals in 2020.
Wevers was born on 17 September 1991 inLeeuwarden. She is six minutes younger than her fraternal twin,Sanne. They were both members of theDutch national gymnastics team and are coached by their father Vincent Wevers inHeerenveen.[2][3]
Wevers did not compete in any major international competitions until 2009 because of injuries.[2] Her international debut was at the2009 Cottbus World Cup, where she won silver on the beam behindMarta Pihan-Kulesza ofPoland and finished eighth on theuneven bars.[4][5] However, at the2009 European Championships, shetore her ACL and did not compete for another two years.[3]
Wevers returned to competition at the2011 World Championships. In the qualification round, she competed on bars, beam, and floor to help the Dutch team finish in thirteenth.[6] This result qualified them for the2012 Olympic Test Event, but at the Test Event, the team finished in eighth and did not qualify for the Olympics.[7][8] Afterward, Wevers had surgery on both of her wrists and missed the entire 2013 season.[3]
Wevers returned to competition in 2014. She competed with the Dutch team at a friendly meet where they lost to Great Britain.[9] She competed at the2014 European Championships with her sister, and they helped the Netherlands finish ninth.[10] These European Championships marked the first time both of the Wevers twins competed together at a major international competition.[3] At theDutch Championships, she only competed on the beam and finished fifth.[11] She then helped the Dutch team defeat France and Austria at a friendly meet inRouen.[12] At the2014 World Championships, Wevers helped the Dutch team finish tenth inthe qualification round.[13]
Wevers began the 2015 season at the Sidikj Tournament where she won the gold medal on the balance beam.[14] Then at the FIT Challenge, she helped the Dutch team finish seventh.[15] At the2015 European Games, she won a gold medal on the balance beam and bronze medals with the Dutch team, in the all-around, and on floor exercise.[16] She then competed at a friendly meet where the Dutch team lost to Great Britain.[17] She was selected to compete at theWorld Championships inGlasgow alongside her sisterSanne,Eythora Thorsdottir,Tisha Volleman,Mara Titarsolej, andLisa Top. Inthe qualification round, the team beat out Brazil by less than half of a point for the eighth and finalOlympic qualification spot. This marked the first time the Netherlands qualified as a team for theOlympic Games since 1976.[18][19] The team once again finished eighth in the team final.[20] Individually, she qualified for the all-around final where she finished thirteenth and for the floor exercise final where she finished eighth.[21][22]
Wevers competed at the2016 Olympic Test Event and won the bronze medal on the balance beam.[23] She finished tenth in the all-around at theDutch Championships.[24] She was named to represent theNetherlands at the 2016 Summer Olympics alongsideSanne Wevers,Eythora Thorsdottir,Céline van Gerner, andVera van Pol, and her father Vincent Wevers was also selected to travel toRio de Janeiro as a coach.[25] The Dutch team competed inthe team final and finished seventh.[26] Wevers qualified for theindividual all-around final and finished twentieth.[27]
In September 2017, Wevers competed at the Dutch Invitational and finished sixth in the balance beam final.[28] Then at theParis World Challenge Cup, she did not qualify for the balance beam final.[29] She competed on the balance beam at the2017 World Championships, but she did not advance to the final.[30] After the World Championships, she competed at the Toyota International and finished fourth on the balance beam.[31]
Wevers took the 2018 season off to rest her body and travel.[32][33]
Wevers returned to competition at the 2019 FIG Challenge and won the gold medal with the senior Dutch team.[34] Then at the Dutch Championships, she won the silver medal in the all-around behindNaomi Visser, and she won the gold medals on the uneven bars and floor exercise.[35] In August, she competed at theHeerenveen Friendly where she helped the Netherlands win silver in the team competition behind Italy. Individually, she finished seventh in the all-around but recorded the highest floor exercise score of the competition.[36] The following month she competed at the Second Heerenveen Friendly where she helped the Netherlands finish first, and she placed fourth in the all-around.[37] She then competed at theWorld Championships inStuttgart alongsideEythora Thorsdottir,Sanne Wevers,Tisha Volleman, andNaomi Visser. The team finished sixth during the qualification round andqualified a team spot for the 2020 Olympic Games, and then in the team final, they finished eighth.[38][39]
Wevers did not compete in 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. She returned to competition at the 2021 Heerenveen Friendly and won the gold medal in the all-around.[40] She then competed at the2021 European Championships inBasel where she finished eighth in the all-around.[41] She also qualified for the balance beam final where she finished seventh.[42] On 27 June 2021, Wevers was selected to represent theNetherlands at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongsideEythora Thorsdottir,Vera van Pol, andSanne Wevers.[43] Inthe qualification round, the team finished eleventh and did not qualify for the team final.[44] Individually, she qualified for theall-around final and finished twenty-fourth.[45]
Wevers moved toOslo and began coaching while also continuing to train.[46]
Wevers studied psychology atOpen University of the Netherlands and speaksDutch,English,German, andFrench.[16]
| Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Cottbus World Cup | 8 |  | ||||
| 2011 | |||||||
| World Championships | 13 | ||||||
| 2012 | Olympic Test Event | 8 | |||||
| 2014 | GBR-NED Friendly | | |||||
| European Championships | R1 | ||||||
| Dutch Championships | 11 | 5 | |||||
| Rencontre Internationale |  | ||||||
| World Championships | 10 | ||||||
| 2015 | Sidijk Tournament | | |||||
| FIT Challenge | 7 | 8 | |||||
| European Games |  | | | | |||
| GBR-NED Friendly | | ||||||
| World Championships | 8 | 13 | 8 | ||||
| 2016 | Olympic Test Event | | |||||
| Dutch Championships | 10 | ||||||
| Olympic Games | 7 | 20 | |||||
| 2017 | Dutch Invitational | | |||||
| Toyota International | 4 | ||||||
| 2019 | FIT Challenge | | 5 | ||||
| Dutch Championships | | | | | |||
| Heerenveen Friendly | | 7 | |||||
| Second Heerenveen Friendly | | 4 | |||||
| World Championships | 8 | ||||||
| 2021 | Heerenveen Friendly | | |||||
| European Championships | 8 | 7 | |||||
| Olympic Games | 11 | 24 | |||||
| 2024 | |||||||
| European Championships | 7 | ||||||
| Olympic Games | 9 |
