Alessia Verstappen (born 20 June 2006) is a Belgian rhythmic gymnast.[1] She's the first individual gymnast from her country to attend the World Championships.
| Alessia Verstappen | |
|---|---|
| Country represented |  Belgium |
| Born | (2006-06-20) June 20, 2006 (age 18) Sint-Niklaas, Belgium |
| Discipline | Rhythmic Gymnastics |
| Level | International Elite |
| Years on national team | 2019- |
| Club | Happy Gym |
Verstappen took up the sport at age 5, after her parents noticed she was a problem eater as a toddler and decided to make her do sport. At first they opted for ballet so Alessia would follow in the footsteps of her great-grandmother, but then she saw rhythmic gymnastics at the Olympics and fell in love. She trains 7 to 8 hours a day and her dream is to compete at the 2024 Olympic GamesinParis.[2] She speaks Dutch and Russian.[1]
Alessia debuted internationally at the 1st Junior World ChampionshipsinMoscow along her teammate Alexandra Safronova, she performed only with rope scoring 12.100 that put her in 41st place.[3]
In May 2022, her first senior year, she became Belgian champion ahead of Carina Iacos and Oona De Decker.[4][5] A month later she competed in the European ChampionshipsinTel Aviv, where she was 54th in the All-Around, 55th with hoop, 63rd with ball, 44th with clubs and 54th with ribbon.[6] In September she was selected as the sole representative for Belgium for the World ChampionshipsinSofia, becoming the first Belgian to compete in such competition, she ended 58th in the All-Around, 52nd with hoop, 65th with ball, 53rd with clubs and 62nd with ribbon.[7]