Louise Vanhille (born 6 November 1998) is a retired French female

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

. She participated at the

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and 2018 World Championships. She represented

France at the 2016 Summer Olympics France competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. French athletes had appeared in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era, alongside Australia, Great Britain, and Greece. The French Olympic Comm ...

where the French team finished eleventh, and Vanhille finished twenty-first in the all-around final.

Early life

Louise Vanhille was born on 6 November 1998 in

Dunkirk, France Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France.

. When she was ten years old, Vanhille left her family to train in

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...

. Her parents are named Karine and Thierry, and she has a younger brother named Paul.

Junior career

2012

Vanhille made her international debut at the Junior European Championships. The French team of Vanhille, Claire Martin,

Valentine Pikul Valentine Pikul (born 4 September 1997) is a retired French artistic gymnast. She competed for France at the 2015 European Games and the 2015 World Championships. Career Pikul made her international debut at the 2012 International Gymnix in M ...

, Clara Chambellant, and Maelys Plessis finished seventh. At the France-Romania Friendly, the French junior team finished second, and Vanhille finished second in the all-around behind Romania's Ştefania Stănilă. Then Vanhille won a bronze medal with the team at the International Gymnix, and Vanhille finished eleventh in the all-around and fourth on beam. Vanhille won a silver in the all-around at the Élite Gym Massilia, and she finished sixth on vault, fourth on uneven bars, eleventh on balance beam, and sixth on floor exercise.

2013

Vanhille began her season with a silver medal on uneven bars at the International Gymnix. At the National Championships, Vanhille won gold medals with her team, Dunkerque Gym, and on uneven bars. At the France-Romania Junior Friendly, the French team finished second, and Vanhille won a silver on vault and a bronze on uneven bars. She also placed seventh in the all-around and sixth on balance beam. She was then selected to represent France at the

European Youth Olympic Festival The European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) is a biennial multi-sport event for youth (14 to 18 years old) athletes from the 50 member countries of the association of European Olympic Committees. The festival has a summer edition, held for the fir ...

along with Claire Martin and Laura Longueville. They placed fourth as a team, and individually, Vanhille finished sixth in the all-around, eighth on balance beam, and she won a silver medal on uneven bars behind

Martina Rizzelli Martina Rizzelli (born March 24, 1998) is an Italian female artistic gymnast and a member of the national team. She participated in two editions of the World Championships (2014 in Nanjing, China, and 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland), and qualified for ...

. At the Élite Gym Massilia, Vanhille finished fourth with her team and sixteenth in the all-around, and she won a gold medal on uneven bars. Then, at the French National Cup, Vanhille tied with

Anne Kuhm Anne Kuhm (born December 17, 1996) is a French artistic gymnast. She represented France at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and was a reserve for the all-around final. The French team finished 11th in the qualification round, and they did not qualify ...

for the all-around gold medal.

Senior career

2014

Vanhille's senior debut was delayed by an elbow injury that left her out for six months. She made her return at the Élite Gym Massilia where she finished fourth with her team, fifth in the all-around, and fourth on uneven bars.

2015

Vanhille competed at the National Championships where her team finished fourth, and she won gold on uneven bars and silvers in the all-around and on floor. She then competed at the

City of Jesolo Trophy The City of Jesolo Trophy is an annual women's gymnastics competition held in Jesolo, Italy. There are competitions for the senior division and junior division. The United States won the senior team competition every year from 2010 to 2017.

where the French team finished fourth. She was then selected to compete at the

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

, but she did not qualify for any finals. Vanhille then competed at the Flanders International Team Challenge where France finished fourth, and Vanhille finished twentieth in the all-around. France lost to Romania in the Romania-France Friendly, but Vanhille won gold on uneven bars and finished fourth in the all-around. Then, France beat Spain in the France-Spain Friendly, and Vanhille finished second in the all-around behind

Marine Brevet Marine Brevet (born 23 November 1994, in Viriat) is a former French artistic gymnast. She was a member of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 European Championships. She was supposed to represent France at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but ...

, and she won gold on the uneven bars. She was then selected to represent France at the World Championships along with

Loan His Loan Válerie His (born 10 April 1999) is a retired French artistic gymnast. She represented France at the 2016 Summer Olympics and helped the French team finish eleventh. She won a bronze medal with the French team at the 2016 European Champions ...

, Claire Martin, and

. The team finished in tenth place which meant they did not qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games and would have to go to the

2016 Olympic Test Event The 2016 Olympic Gymnastics Test Event, known officially as Aquece Rio 2016, served as the final qualifier to the gymnastics events at the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Concerns and criticisms During the test event the FIG (In ...

2016

Vanhille went to the

where the French team placed fourth, and Vanhille placed fourth on uneven bars. Vanhille was selected to compete at the Olympic Test Event along with

Marine Boyer Marine Clémence Boyer (, born 22 May 2000) is a French female artistic gymnast. She is the 2018 Mediterranean Games champion, the 2016 European silver medalist and the 2018 European bronze medalist on the balance beam. She is also the 2018 Eur ...

Oréane Lechenault Oréane Caroline Marie Lechenault (born 31 August 2000) is a retired French female artistic gymnast. She finished fourth alongside her teammates at the 2016 Gymnastics Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, and she represented France at the 2016 ...

, and

. The team finished fourth which secured their spot for the 2016 Olympic Games. She then competed at the National Championships where she finished fifth in the all-around, and won bronze on uneven bars and silver on floor exercise. In the France vs Romania Rematch, France beat Romania, and Vanhille finished second in the all-around behind Melanie de Jesus dos Santos. She also won bronze on vault and floor exercise. Vanhille competed at the Chemnitz Friendly where France finished second to Germany, and Vanhille finished sixth in the all-around and won bronze on uneven bars.

2016 Olympic Games

Vanhille was selected to represent France at the 2016 Olympic Games along with

, and

. France competed in the final subdivision of the qualification round. The team finished eleventh and did not qualify for the team final. Vanhille achieved a personal-best all-around score of 55.765 and qualified for the all-around final. Afterwards, Vanhille said, "I started well, so it boosted me. I had fun, I have never done a competition like that. I felt the pressure rise in the warm-up room and then entering the room but when the event was launched, I really enjoyed myself." In the all-around final, Vanhille finished twenty-first with a score of 54.666. The Olympics were Vanhille's last competition of the season.

2017

Vanhille returned to competition at the Top 12 Championships, a competition between the best twelve clubs in France, and Vanhille competed for her native club, Dunkerque Gym. The club finished in fifth place, but Vanhille won the all-around gold medal in addition to a silver on beam and a bronze on floor. At the National Championships, Vanhille won bronze on balance beam and placed sixth in the all-around and on uneven bars. She competed at the Élite Gym Massilia where she placed fifth with her team and on balance beam and sixth in the all-around. At the Top 12 Series 2, Dunkerque beat Elbeuf, and individually, Vanhille won gold medals in the all-around and on uneven bars and floor exercise, and she won bronze medals on vault and beam.

2018

At the Top 12 Series 3, Dunkerque lost to Haguenau, but Vanhille won the gold medal on floor exercise. Then at the Top 12 Series 4, Dunkerque beat Schiltigheim, and Vanhille won silver medals on vault and uneven bars. At the Doha World Cup, Vanhille placed sixth on uneven bars. At the City of Jesolo Trophy, Vanhille finished fourteenth in the all-around. Then at the National Championships, Vanhille won silver medals in the all-around and on beam and placed fourth on uneven bars and fifth on floor. Vanhille was selected to compete at the

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fir ...

with Sheyen Petit,

, Grace Charpy, and Morgane Osyssek Reimer. The team finished second to Italy, and Vanhille finished second in the all-around to Lara Mori. Vanhille won the gold medal on the uneven bars and the bronze medal on balance beam, and she placed seventh on floor exercise. At the Sainté Gym Cup, Vanhille won bronze on vault and silver on uneven bars. She then competed at the Rüsselsheim Friendly where the French tea, finished fourth. She was then selected to compete at the World Championships along with Juliette Bossu,

, Lorette Charpy, and Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos, and they finished fifth in the team final. Then, at the Top 12 Series 1, Dunkerque defeated Beaucaire, and Vanhille won gold on vault and balance beam and silver on uneven bars.

Retirement

In December 2018, Vanhille announced her retirement from gymnastics, but she will be joining

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

troupe as a performer. In an interview she said, "The idea had been going around my head for a while. I had done the entire tour with gymnastics and I was looking for something new, something that would allow me to continue living wonderful experiences and still being in the artistic world."

Competitive history

Sainté Gym Show 2018-Equipe de France de GAF

Junior

Senior

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanhille, Louise French female artistic gymnasts Sportspeople from Dunkirk Gymnasts at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic gymnasts for France Competitors at the 2018 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games gold medalists for France Mediterranean Games silver medalists for France Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for France 1998 births Living people Mediterranean Games medalists in gymnastics 21st-century French women