Gymnast's profile - Gaelle Mys

Credit: Florence Lestienne

Date of birth: 16/11/1991 (23)

Club: O.T.V. Nazareth vzw - Topsportcentrum Ghent

Favourite event: balance beam

Gaelle is THE star of this Belgian team, the most experienced gymnast too, since the retirement of Aagje Vanwalleghem in 2012. Gaelle's first international event are the 2004 European Junior Championships (14th with the team). Two years later, in Volos, she significantly improves her performance from 2004, and even wins a bronze medal on floor exercise.

Her good results at 2007 Euros (16th AA) and Worlds (68th AA), and her performance in World Cups (one in 2007, three in 2008) allow her to represent Belgium at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where she placed 24th in the all-around final. 

Between 2009 and 2012, Gaelle qualifies for no less than 6 finals at World Cups and Challenger Cups and won a bronze medal on beam (Doha 2011). The strong performances of the Belgian team at the 2010 (15th) and 2011 Worlds (16th) allows Yves Kieffer's gymnasts to qualify for the Test Event. team belgium then still hopes to qualify a full team to the 2012 Olympics.

Credit: Belga

Unfortunately, after some mistakes, Belgium finished in 5th place, 1 point behind Brazil and missed the team qualification. Julie croket (5th) and Aagje Vanwalleghem (13th) are ranked ahead of Gaelle (37th). An individual qualification seems difficult to reach for Gaelle. But shortly before the start of the Brussels European Championships, Aagje announces the end of her career. Julie, who had qualified for the floor exercise final (8th), got injured, a month before the Games begin. Gaelle is thus the first pick to represent Belgium at the London Olympics, where she finished in 31st place in the all-around qualification.

In 2013, she won gold on the balance beam at the International Gymnix Canada, before winning gold at the Belgian Championship. At the 2013 Worlds in Antwerp, she made History by qualifying, alongside Laura Waem, for the all-around final (18th). This was the first time ever that two Belgian gymnasts qualify for this final. In 2014, she was 3rd at the Belgian Championship. gaelle was then a member of the Belgian teams that were sent to the 2014 Euros (7th team) and Worlds (11th team).

This year, she ranked 2nd at the Belgian Championship, before participating in the Flanders International Team Challenge (2nd team). She then flew to Baku and the first European Games (10th team, sixth all-around).

She will try to be part of the team that will be send to the World Championships in Glasgow in October.

Results:

2015 - European Games (Baku) : 10th (team), 6th (all-around)

2015 - Belgian Championships: 2nd (all-around)

2015 - FIT Challenge (Ghent): 2nd (team)

2014 - World Championships (Nanning): 11th (team), 50th (all-around)

2014 - Belgian Championships: 3rd (all-around)

2014 - European Championships (Sofia): 7th (team), 11th (all-around)

2013 - Belgian Championships: 1st (all-around)

2013 - World Championships (Antwerp): 18th (all-around)

2013 - International Gymnix Canada (Montreal): 10th (all-around), 1st (balance beam)

2012 - World Challenger Cup (Ghent): 4th (balance beam)

2012 - Belgian Championships: 2nd (all-around)

2012 - European Championships (Brussels): 6th (team)

2012 - Olympic Games (London): 31st (all-around), 45th (uneven bars), 30th (balance beam), 51st (floor exercise)

2012 - Test Event (London): 5th (team), 37th (all-around)

2011 - World Challenger Cup (Doha): 3rd (balance beam), 5th (floor exercise), 7th (uneven bars)

2011 - World Championships (Tokyo): 16th (team), 75th (all-around)

2011 - World Challenger Cup (Ghent): 7th (floor exercise)

2010 - World Championships (Rotterdam): 15th (team)

2009 - World Cup (Stuttgart): 7th (floor exercise)

2009 - Gymfinales (Ghent): 2nd (balance beam), 1st (floor exercise)

2009 - Belgian Championships: 2nd (all-around)

2008 - Olympic Games (Beijing): 24th (all-around), 54th (uneven bars), 30th (balance beam), 47th (floor exercise)

2008 - World Cup (Barcelona): 4th (uneven bars), 7th (balance beam), 6th (floor exercise)

2008 - European Championships (Clermont-Ferrand): 17th (team)

2008 - World Cup (Doha): 7th (balance beam), 7th (floor exercise)

2007 - World Championships (Stuttgart): 68th (all-around)

2007 - World Cup (Ghent): 6th (floor exercise)

2007 - European Championships (Amsterdam): 16th (all-around)

2007 - WOGA Classic (United States): 17th (all-around), 2nd (floor exercise)

2006 - European Junior Championships (Volos): 9th (team), 6th (all-around), 7th (vault), 6th (balance beam), 3rd (floor exercise)

2004 - European Junior Championships (Amsterdam): 14th (team)