Nina Derwael first responded on Instagram to the firing of Eve Keffer and Marjorie Huells. “Thank you for everything. I love you.” This is how she says goodbye to the coaches with whom she won the gold medal at the Olympic Games. With less than 300 days until the Olympics, Druel’s future remains uncertain. She said on social media that she was looking forward to a new chapter.
October 24. A bombshell in the world of gymnastics. Gymfed has reported that it will immediately cease its collaboration with French coaches Marjorie Huells and Eve Kieffer.
The unexpected news hit Nina Druel hard. She has always trained under Heuls in Ghent and stood steadfastly behind her coach when former gymnasts accused him of psychologically inappropriate behavior in the summer of 2020. Heuls survived the scandal and triumphed with Druel at the Tokyo Games.
After the sacking of Keefer and Howells, there appeared to be three options for Druel. One: pull the plug yourself. That’s not really her nature, but that possibility can’t be ruled out either. Two: training under a new coach in Gent, with all the uncertainties that entails. The third: training outside the system, with Hewells as a personal trainer. She will not be the first to leave the elite operation in Ghent. For former gymnasts Dorian Moten and Axel Klinkaert, this turned out to be the sporting death blow – Huell had turned his back on them – but a star like Druel cannot be pushed aside so easily.
It certainly doesn’t look like this is the last option now. “Thank you for everything, I love you. These are big shoes to fill,” Druel posted on her Instagram account.
What Druel’s future will hold remains unclear. “I’m looking forward to the next chapter,” she concluded cryptically.
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