| Nicknames |
Nonnie |
| Most influential person in career |
Domien Michiel.
"He showed me that if you work for your goals and dreams you can achieve everything." (Athlete, Jan 2024) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"It sounds cliche, but you really have to try to take a positive out of every day. There is no point in hiding and drowning yourself in self-pity and sadness. No matter how bad your situation is, you have to take your destiny into your own hands and go for it." (puissance.com, 03 Mar 2021)
"We have a disability but we are not disabled!" (Athlete, Jan 2024) |
| Awards and honours |
In 2021 she received the Jury Prize at the EquiGala, an annual event that honours Belgian equestrian athletes. (sporza.be, 08 Mar 2022) |
| Impairment |
In 2007 she fell off her boyfriend's horse, breaking three vertebrae in her back. "The horse spooked and jumped away. I fell on the concrete. One of the first aid responders told me that I was in the way of the horse and wanted me to get up and move away from it. While I was trying to do that, one of the pieces of the vertebrae that was broken went against my spine. I was paralysed in the legs. I had to have surgery within 24 hours in order to avoid being paralysed permanently. I have nerve damage on my right side, my arm and my leg. I have only 30% power on that side of my body." (eurodressage.com, 22 Jan 2022; puissance.com, 03 Mar 2021; Paralympic Team Belgium YouTube channel, 19 Aug 2020; Quadrille Facebook page, 20 Mar 2018) |
| Other information |
RETURN TO RIDING
She took a more cautious approach to riding when she returned to the saddle after her accident. "We normally had jumping horses at home, but after my fall my parents and I decided to buy dressage horses. When I had strengthened enough to climb back into the saddle, there were a lot of mixed feelings. The first time I got up on a horse, tears rolled down my cheeks. A first, logical reaction, but it was intense. Fortunately, things got better and better after that. I have processed my trauma, but in the back of your mind you will of course remain cautious. For example, we now attach great importance to mounting, since that's how my accident happened. And if I'm going to try a new horse, I'll be extra careful. Moreover, I always follow my gut feeling. If I don't trust it 100%, I just don't do it." (eurodressage.com, 22 Jan 2022; puissance.com, 03 Mar 2021) |
FEI Database
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