An VANNIEUWENHUYSE

Historical Results

Coaching athletics, spending time with her godson, yoga, reading, playing games.

Athlete

Studied Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy at Ghent University (BEL).

French, English, Dutch, German

National: Tom De La Hunty (GBR)
Personal: Fernando Oliva (ESP)

Pilot

Athletics: Competed in heptathlon, hurdles, jumps, and sprints at a national level.

2011 World Cup in Innsbruck (Two-woman - 15th)

June 2018: Suffered from overtraining syndrome that forced her to significantly reduce her training. She took six weeks off in summer 2018 and then built up from only training twice a week to eight times a week over the course of the year. After three years, she was able to resume a more normal training schedule but still focuses on recovery and the quality of her workouts over the quantity.

November 2017: Concussion suffered in a crash at the World Cup event in Whistler.

2011

Grew up in Lede, Oost-Vlaanderen as the youngest of two children in a true track and field family, where both her parents were coaches since the mid-1980s. She spent much time on the Sport Vlaanderen track in Lede-Oordegem. In 2011, Elfje Willemsen, who represented Belgium at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games, reached out to her based on her athletics results to try out as one of her brakewomen. "When I got the message from Elfje, I thought, 'Hell yeah I want to try out. I want to try something new.'" In 2013, she completed her pilots' training. (slidingonice.com, 2 Aug 2021; Info 2018; bobenskeleton.be)

"My level in track and field wasn't increasing and I needed a new challenge. My invitation to the national bobsleigh tests came at the perfect time." (Info 2018)

To win a medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Info 2018)

Her fourth and best run at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, where she and brakewoman Sophie Vercruyssen moved up four spots from 16th.

Winning the bronze medal in the two-woman at the 2015 Junior World Championships (with Lies Defreyne). (slidingonice,com, 2 Aug 2021)

Her mother. (Info 2018)

"Everything will be okay in the end. And if it's not okay, it's not the end." (Info 2018)