| Jutta Verkest | |
| Birth Date: | 11 October 2005 |
| Birth Place: | Mechelen, Belgium |
| Residence: | Ghent, Belgium |
| Discipline: | WAG |
| Natlteam: | 2017 - 2024 (BEL) |
| Club: | GymFlex |
| Gym: | Topsportschool Gent |
| Headcoach: | Ulla Koch |
| Formercoach: | Marjorie Heuls, Yves Kieffer |
| Retired: | April 15, 2024[1] |
Jutta Verkest (born 11 October 2005) is a retired Belgian artistic gymnast. She represented Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics and was the youngest gymnast at the 2020 Olympic Games.[2]
Jutta Verkest was born on 11 October 2005, in Mechelen, and she began gymnastics in 2010.[3] Her mother, Mireille, is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[4] Her idol is Gabby Douglas.[5] She currently lives and trains in Ghent.[6]
At the 2016 Belgian Championships, Verkest finished seventh in the all-around and won the bronze medal on the floor exercise.[7] She then made her international debut at the 2017 FIT Challenge and finished eleventh in the all-around in the Espoir division.[8] She then competed at the 2017 Swiss Cup and helped the Belgian team win the silver medal behind Germany.[9] At the 2018 Tournoi International, she finished fourth in the all-around with a total score of 50.267. She also won the silver medal in the uneven bars event final behind Swiss gymnast Lena Bickel.[10] Then at the 2018 Top Gym Tournament, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars and placed eighth in the all-around.[11]
Verkest competed at the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy, and the Belgian junior team won the bronze medal behind Russia and the United States. Individually, she finished twenty-sixth in the all-around.[12] She then competed at the L'International Gymnix where the Belgian team won the silver medal behind the United States.[13] At the 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, Verkest competed with Charlotte Beydts and Margaux Dandois, and they finished sixth. Individually, Verkest finished fourteenth in the all-around final and sixth in the uneven bars final.[14] At the 2020 L'International Gymnix, Verkest won a bronze medal on the uneven bars behind Konnor McClain and Skye Blakely.[15]
Verkest made her senior international debut at the 2021 Heerenveen Friendly, and she finished seventh in the all-around.[16] She was initially Belgium's reserve athlete for the 2021 European Championships, but when Nina Derwael withdrew due to a minor foot injury, Verkest was sent.[17] After the qualification round, she was the third reserve for the all-around final, but she was added to the competition after Giulia Steingruber withdrew.[18] Verkest was only notified one hour before the all-around final started. She ultimately finished tenth with a total score of 52.132.[19] She then competed at the FIT Challenge and helped the Belgian team win the silver medal behind France. Individually, she placed sixth in the all-around and fourth on the uneven bars, and she won the bronze medal on the floor exercise behind Roxana Popa and Maria Ceplinschi.[20]
Verkest was selected to represent Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Maellyse Brassart, Nina Derwael, and Lisa Vaelen.[21] Had the 2020 Olympic Games not been postponed, she would have not been age-eligible for the competition due to her 2005 birth date.[22] Before the Olympics, she stated, "The postponement of the Games was positive for me. I have come to gain experience with an eye to Paris in 2024."[23] She competed on all four events in the team final where the team finished eighth.[24] Individually, she qualified for the all-around final where she finished twenty-third with a total score of 51.232.[25]
Verkest competed at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, where she contributed to Belgium's fifth-place finish in the team final.[26]
| align=center | Year | align=center | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | |||||||||
| 2016 | Belgian Championships | 7 | |||||||
| 2017 | FIT Challenge | 4 | 11 | ||||||
| Swiss Cup | 18 | ||||||||
| 2018 | Tournoi International | 4 | 8 | ||||||
| Top Gym | 8 | 7 | |||||||
| 2019 | 26 | ||||||||
| L'International Gymnix | 8 | 4 | |||||||
| Belgian Championships | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| FIT Challenge | 21 | ||||||||
| European Youth Olympic Festival | 6 | 14 | 6 | ||||||
| Elite Gym Massilia | 43 | ||||||||
| Top Gym | 6 | 4 | |||||||
| 2020 | 6 | 4 | |||||||
| Senior | |||||||||
| 2021 | Belgian Test Meet | 6 | |||||||
| Heerenveen Friendly | 7 | ||||||||
| European Championships | 10 | ||||||||
| FIT Challenge | 6 | 4 | |||||||
| Olympic Games | 8 | 23 | |||||||
| 2022 | |||||||||
| align=left | 5 | ||||||||
| align=left | |||||||||
| 2023 | align=left | ||||||||
| align=left | 7 | ||||||||