Athlete, Student

Information Technology - University College Ghent: Belgium

Partner Joline Cambre

Dutch, English

Sportac Deinze: Belgium

2015

In January 2018 he sustained a shoulder injury and underwent surgery. (e-portfolio.howest.be, 15 Jan 2018)

In October 2015 he tore his Achilles tendon during his floor routine in the individual all-around final at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He had surgery and was out for the rest of the season. In June 2016 he returned to completion at a qualification event for the 2016 Olympic Games. (e-portfolio.howest.be, 15 Jan 2018; Facebook profile, 18 Feb 2016; nieuwsblad.be, 02 Nov 2015)

He took up gymnastics at age five.

To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (e-portfolio.howest.be, 15 Jan 2018)

German gymnast Fabian Hambuchen. (gymfed.be, 09 Apr 2016)

RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
He says that his injuries have prompted thoughts of retirement from time to time, but his passion to compete at the Olympic Games is his main drive to continue with the sport. "I think, every athlete occasionally has some bad periods in which nothing works. Once I even threw my cell phone on the floor out of frustration. My coach then had to pick up the debris from the ground. I am nevertheless happy that I never stopped gymnastics." (e-portfolio.howest.be, 15 Jan 2018)

EDUCATION
In 2016 he withdrew from his design and technology studies at Odisee Ghent in Belgium due to his injury and busy training schedule. "[Pursuing education] was not that easy. When I came back from the 2015 World Cup in Cottbus, Germany, it was no longer possible to catch up with everything. I partly chose to quit because I lost interest in that direction, but also because of my busy training schedule." He then continued studying information technology at University College Ghent where he expects to graduate in 2020. (e-portfolio.howest.be, 15 Jan 2018; LinkedIn profile, 2016)