Student Gabriël Lomans rolls, turns and waves in his wheel. “If I am stressed, I sometimes go and roll around.” Part 4 of our series about less well known student sports.
Gabriël at the world championships in 2024. (Photo: Bart Treuren)
What is wheel gymnastics?
Wheel gymnastics is gymnastics in a large wheel. The wheel consists of two hoops that are attached to each other with spokes. There are three disciplines: straight-line, spirale, and vault. In ‘straight-line’ the wheel stands on both hoops and rolls back and forth while the gymnast performs exercises in the wheel. In ‘spirale’ the wheel rotates on one side (like a coin) and the gymnast performs exercises in the middle. In the ‘vault’ the gymnast somersaults off the wheel. The jury awards points for difficulty, execution, and music.
How did you start wheel gymnastics?
“I only started when I was 14 years old. Before that I did ‘ordinary’ gymnastics. After my training sessions, people did wheel gymnastics in the gym. I saw the wheels being taken out and thought they looked a lot of fun. I asked my coach if I could have a go and after that I never stopped. As I was doing gymnastics I was already well coordinated, strong and flexible. I quickly passed through all the levels in wheel gymnastics.”
What makes wheel gymnastics so enjoyable?
“I really enjoy spinning around. It is a very relaxing movement. If I am stressed, I sometimes go and wheel around. It feels so good.”
“It’s also pleasant because as only a small number of people do it, everyone knows each other. There is a lot of solidarity. This summer I went to a training camp with some world champions. A lot of international athletes in general do not want to train with each other as they see each other as competitors. This is absolutely not the case in wheel gymnastics. Maybe it’s also because we have a common goal as we want the sport to be included in the Olympic Games. This will only happen if we go for it together.”
You practice wheel gymnastics to music. How do you choose the music?
“I performed to Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker at the last World Championships and won three bronze medals. I have listened to Tchaikovsky since I was very young and love doing gymnastics to classical music. But you do it to every kind of music: classical music, rock, film scores … The exercises are more than just power and the level of difficulty. They’re also about feelings or the story that you want to share. Your facial expressions should not show that you’re working hard or need to correct something.”
What was the best point in your career?
“It was last April at the Belgian Open. When the silver medalist was announced and I had still not won a place I started wondering what had gone wrong. They suddenly announced my name and I had won gold! They then played the Wilhelmus (the national anthem). It was a wonderful experience.”
What is your ultimate goal?
“Gold at the World Championships would be nice, but for me it’s not about medals. I want to perform my exercises as best I can and give a show of which I can be really proud. Even if I would come fourth but will have shown my best exercise, I would be satisfied and happy.”
Have you ever run over your own hands on the wheel?
“Ha ha, absolutely. You won’t break your fingers, but it hurts a lot and will hurt for weeks. You learn to avoid this in your very first lesson. But I have to admit that this has happened to me.”
Who: Gabriël Lomans (22)
Study: Master’s Applied Physics
Sport: Wheel gymnastics
Association: KDO Krimpen aan den IJssel
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