Vera van Pol

Vera Dorothea Wilhelmina van Pol (born 17 December 1993)^[2] is a Dutch artistic gymnast. She represented the Netherlands at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. She won a bronze medal with the Dutch team at the 2018 European Championships. She is the 2015 and 2018 Dutch all-around champion. She competed at the 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2021 World Championships.

Vera van Pol
van Pol at the 2022 European Championships
Personal information
Full name	Vera Dorothea Wilhelmina van Pol
Country represented	Netherlands
Born	(1993-12-17) 17 December 1993 (age 30) Weert, Netherlands
Residence	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)^[1]
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Years on national team	2013–Present (NED)
Club	Turnz Amsterdam
Head coach(es)	Gerben Wiersma
Medal record Representing  Netherlands European Championships 2018 Glasgow Team 2023 Antalya Team FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd Apparatus World Cup 0 0 1

Career

2013-2014

Van Pol competed at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix in Szombathely, finishing fourth on both the uneven bars and the balance beam.^[3] She was then selected to compete at the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp. She competed on the uneven bars and the floor exercise but did not make either event final.^[4]

Van Pol was selected to compete at the 2014 European Championships alongside Julia Bombach, Lisa Top, Lieke Wevers, and Sanne Wevers. The team finished ninth making them the first reserve for the team final.^[5] She then competed at the 2014 Dutch Championships and won the all-around bronze medal behind Lisa Top and Maartje Ruikes. She became the national champion on the uneven bars, and she also won silver on vault and floor exercise.^[6] She then helped the Netherlands win a friendly meet against France and Austria, and she also placed fourth in the all-round with a total score of 51.400.^[7] She was then selected to compete at the 2014 World Championships in Nanning alongside Maartje Ruikes, Lisa Top, Céline van Gerner, Lieke Wevers, and Sanne Wevers. The team placed tenth in the qualification round making them the second reserve for the team final.^[8]

2015-2016

Van Pol won the all-around, vault, and floor exercise titles at the 2015 Dutch Championships and won the silver medal on the balance beam behind Sanne Wevers. At the FIT Challenge in Ghent, the Dutch team finished seventh and van Pol placed twenty-fourth in the all-around.^[9][10] She then competed at a friendly meet against Great Britain and placed eighth all-around.^[11] Her final competition of the year was the 2015 Voronin Cup in Moscow where she placed fourth in the team, all-around, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.^[12][13][14]

Van Pol began her 2016 season at the Sidijk Tournament in Heerenveen where she finished third on the balance beam behind Emma Larsson and Céline van Gerner.^[15] Then in March, she competed at the Glasgow World Cup finishing seventh in the all-around with a total score of 51.465.^[16] The next week she traveled to Stuttgart to compete in the DTB Team Challenge and competed on the uneven bars and balance beam to help the Dutch team place seventh.^[17] Her next competition was the IAG SportEvent, a domestic event held in 's-Hertogenbosch. She placed fourth in the all-around with a total score of 53.498 and had the second-highest score on the vault and uneven bars, both behind Eythora Thorsdottir.^[18] Then at the Dutch Championships, she won the gold medal on vault and placed eleventh all-around and on balance beam and ninth on uneven bars.^[19][20] Then in July at the Dutch Olympic Qualifier, she finished fifth in the all-around.^[21] She was selected to represent the Netherlands at the 2016 Summer Olympics alongside Eythora Thorsdottir, Céline van Gerner, Lieke Wevers, and Sanne Wevers. In the qualification round, van Pol competed on the vault and floor exercise, scoring a 14.266 and a 13.500 respectively, and helping the Netherlands qualify for the team final in eighth place.^[22] She scored a 14.100 on vault during the team final where the Netherlands finished seventh.^[23]

2017-2018

Van Pol returned to competition at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei and helped the Dutch team place fifth in the team competition.^[24] Individually, she finished fifteenth in the all-around final.^[25] Her only other competition of 2017 was the Elite Gym Massilia where she placed fifth in the all-around and on the uneven bars and fourth with the Dutch team.^[26]

In March 2018, van Pol competed at the Birmingham World Cup, finishing sixth all-around with a score of 51.032.^[27] She then won her second national all-around title at the Dutch Championships where she also won bronze medals on the balance beam and floor exercise.^[28] Then at the Heerenveen Friendly, she helped the Dutch team win the silver medal behind Japan, and she placed eleventh all-around, fifth on uneven bars, and fourth on floor exercise.^[29] She was selected to compete for the Netherlands at the 2018 European Championships alongside Céline van Gerner, Tisha Volleman, Sanne Wevers, and Naomi Visser. They won the team bronze medal behind Russia and France, marking the first time the Netherlands won a team medal at the European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships since 2002.^[30] Then at the Varsenare Friendly, she helped the Dutch team win the silver medal behind Belgium.^[31] She was selected to compete at the World Championships in Doha alongside Kirsten Polderman, Naomi Visser, Tisha Volleman, and Sanne Wevers. The team placed tenth in the qualification round and was the second reserve for the team final.^[32]

2019-2021

Van Pol had ankle surgery in February 2019 and missed the beginning of the season.^[33] She returned to competition at the Heerenveen Friendly in August where the Dutch team finished second behind Italy, and van Pol placed ninth in the all-around.^[34] Then in September at the 2nd Heerenveen Friendly, she placed eleventh all-around and helped the Netherlands win the team gold medal.^[35]

Van Pol was initially scheduled to compete at the 2020 Birmingham World Cup.^[36] However, the event was postponed and eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.^[37]

Van Pol returned to competition in April 2021 at the Heerenveen Friendly where she placed eighth in the all-around.^[38] Then at the Varna Challenge Cup, she placed eighth on the uneven bars.^[39] At the 1st Dutch Olympic Trials, she placed sixth all-around and had the second-highest scores on the vault and the uneven bars.^[40] She then won the all-around gold medal at the 2nd Dutch Olympic Trials and was selected to represent the Netherlands at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Eythora Thorsdottir, Lieke Wevers, and Sanne Wevers.^[41] The team finished eleventh in the qualification round and did not advance into the team finals.^[42] After the Olympics, van Pol competed at the 2021 World Championships and was the fourth reserve for the all-around final after finishing twenty-eighth in the qualification round.^[43]

2022

Van Pol won her first FIG World Cup medal at the 2022 Baku World Cup with a bronze on the uneven bars behind Lorette Charpy and Naomi Visser.^[44]

At the European Championships in Munich, van Pol helped the Netherlands qualify to the team final, where they finished fourth behind Italy, Great Britain and Germany.^[45]

Competitive history

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
2013	Hungarian Grand Prix				4	4
2014
	European Championships	R1
	Dutch Championships
	Rencontre Internationale		4
	World Championships	R2
2015	Dutch Championships
	FIT Challenge	7	24
	NED-GBR Friendly		8
	Voronin Cup	4	4		4	4	4
2016	Sidijk Tournament
	Glasgow World Cup		7
	DTB Team Challenge	7
	IAG SportEvent		4
	Dutch Championships		11		9	11
	Dutch Olympic Qualifier		5
	Olympic Games	7
2017	Summer Universiade	5	15
	Elite Gym Massilia	4	5		5
2018	Birmingham World Cup		6
	Dutch Championships				4
	Heerenveen Friendly		11		5		4
	European Championships
	Varsenare Friendly
	World Championships	R2
2019	Heerenveen Friendly		9
	2nd Heerenveen Friendly		11
2021	Heerenveen Friendly		8
	Varna Challenge Cup				8
	1st Dutch Olympic Trials		6
	2nd Dutch Olympic Trials
	Olympic Games	11
	World Championships		R4
2022	Baku World Cup
	European Championships	4	16
2023
	European Championships
	World Championships	7

References

1. . Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
2. "Vera van Pol". Olympedia. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
3. "V. Hungarian Grand Prix Apparatus Final" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Hungarian Gymnastics Federation. 8 September 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
4. "44th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp (BEL) Women's Qualification Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 1 October 2013. pp. 6, 16. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
5. "30th European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Team Championships Seniors Qualifications for CIII & CIV" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. European Gymnastics. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
6. Hopkins, Lauren (22 June 2014). "2014 Dutch Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
7. "Full team results" (PDF). Gymnastics Results (in French). French Gymnastics Federation. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
8. "45th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning (CHN) Women's Qualification" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
9. "FIT Challenge Finals Juniors / Seniors - Team Ranking Open Competition" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
10. "FIT Challenge Qualifications Seniors - All-around Results" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
11. Hopkins, Lauren (4 October 2015). "2015 Netherlands-Great Britain Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
12. "Международный Турнир На Кубок Михаила Воронина Pезультаты Командное первенство" [International Tournament for the Mikhail Voronin Cup Results Team championship] (PDF). Gymnastics Results (in Russian). Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
13. "Международный Турнир На Кубок Михаила Воронина Pезультаты Финал многоборья" [International Tournament for the Mikhail Voronin Cup Results All-Around Final] (PDF). Gymnastics Results (in Russian). Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
14. "Международный Турнир На Кубок Михаила Воронина Pезультаты Соревнования III" [International Tournament for the Mikhail Voronin Cup Results Competition III] (PDF). Gymnastics Results (in Russian). Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
15. Hopkins, Lauren (28 February 2016). "2016 Sidijk Tournament Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
16. "All-Around Results Women's Competition Mens & Womens Artistic - Glasgow FIG Artistic World Cup" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. British Gymnastics. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
17. "Team Results Womens Competition EnBW DTB-Pokal Team Challenge 2016" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
18. Hopkins, Lauren (9 May 2016). "2016 IAG SportEvent Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
19. "Nederlands Kampioenschap & Dutch Open Turnen Dames" [Dutch Championship & Dutch Open Gymnastics Women] (PDF). Gymnastics Results (in Dutch). Dutch Gymnastics Federation. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
20. "Uitslag per toestel NK, Dutch Open & Ahoy-Cup toestellen" [Results per apparatus DC, Dutch Open & Ahoy-Cup] (PDF). Gymnastics Results (in Dutch). Dutch Gymnastics Federation. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
21. Hopkins, Lauren (12 July 2016). "2016 Dutch Olympic Qualifier Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
22. "Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team Qualification" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Rio 2016. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
23. "Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team Final" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Rio 2016. 9 August 2016. p. 2. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
24. Hopkins, Lauren (22 August 2017). "2017 Summer Universiade Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
25. "Women's All-Around Final" (PDF). International University Sports Federation. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
26. Hopkins, Lauren (17 November 2017). "2017 Elite Gym Massilia Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
27. "All-Around Results 21st-22nd March 2018 2018 Gymnastics World Cup Arena, Birmingham Womens Competition" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. British Gymnastics. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
28. Hopkins, Lauren (24 June 2018). "2018 Dutch Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
29. Hopkins, Lauren (11 July 2018). "2018 Heerenveen Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
30. Etchells, Daniel (4 August 2018). "Russia retain women's artistic gymnastics team title at Glasgow 2018 European Championships". Inside the Games. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
31. Hopkins, Lauren (6 October 2018). "2018 Varsenare Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
32. "48th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Doha (QAT), 25 October - 3 November 2018 Women's Team Qualification" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
33. "Vera van Pol: My recovery is going better than expected". Gymnovosti. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
34. Hopkins, Lauren (31 August 2019). "2019 Heerenveen Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
35. Hopkins, Lauren (14 September 2019). "2019 2nd Heerenveen Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
36. "Birmingham World Cup roster bursts with World stars". International Gymnastics Federation. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
37. "Gymnastics World Cup in Birmingham cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns". British Gymnastics. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
38. Hopkins, Lauren (4 April 2021). "2021 Heerenveen Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
39. "Varna World Challenge Cup Varna, Bulgaria 2021 May 27-30". Gymnastics Results. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
40. "2021 1st Dutch Olympic Trials Results". The Gymternet. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
41. Hopkins, Lauren (26 June 2022). "2021 2nd Dutch Olympic Trials Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
42. (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 25 July 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
43. "50th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Kitakyushu (JPN), 18 October - 24 October 2021 Women's All-Around Qualification" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
44. Crumlish, John (3 April 2022). "Ukraine's Kovtun completes series sweep at World Cup of Baku". International Gymnast Magazine. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
45. "2022 European Championships results". European Gymnastics. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Vera van Pol at the International Gymnastics Federation
• Vera van Pol at Olympedia  
• Vera van Pol at Olympics.com  
• Vera van Pol at TeamNL () (in Dutch)