Cindy Vandenhole announces her retirement

GymFed announced this afternoon that Cindy Vandenhole said goodbye to gymnastics after many years at the highest level. Let's have a look back on her career.

Credit: An Vanderstraeten

Cindy made a splash onto the Senior stage at just 16 years old, when she became Belgian Champion in 2015.

Injured for a long period of time, Cindy only competed on uneven bars and beam for nearly a year and a half. Still, this did not prevent her from participating in several major international events as a junior, such as the European Championships in 2014 (6th with the team).
In 2013, she travelled to Montreal for the International Gymnix and then to Utrecht for the European Youth Olympic Festival, events that allowed her to gain experience.

 

Credit: An Vanderstraeten

In 2015, after winning the Belgian champion title, she flew to Baku and the European Games. If she did not qualify for the all-around final (25th), she nevertheless finished in 10th place in the team competition, competition that gathered some of the best nations in Europe.

She was then sent to Glasgow for the World Championships, where she greatly contributed to the team total. In 2016, Cindy competed at the European Championships in Bern and was named the reserve for both the Test Event and the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. 

 

Career Highlights

2016 - Olympic Games (Rio De Janeiro): reserve

2016 - European Championships (Bern): 9th (team)

2016 - Test Event (Rio): 3rd (team)

2015 - World Championships (Glasgow): 11th (team)

2015 - European Games (Baku): 10th (team), 25th (all-around)

2015 - Belgian Championships: 1st (all-around)

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

2014 - Belgian Junior Championships: 4th (all-around)

2014 - European Junior Championships (Sofia): 6th (team)

2013 - Belgian Junior Championships: 2nd (all-around)

2013 - International Gymnix (Canada): 6th (team), 20th (all-around)

2013 - European Youth Olympic Festival (Utrecht): 8th (team), 17th (all-around)

2012 - Top Gym (Charleroi): 3rd (team), 16th (all-around), 8th (balance beam), 5th (uneven bars)

2012 - Tournoi International (Combs-la-ville): 3rd (team), 6th (all-around), 5th (uneven bars), 2nd (floor exercise)