Elke Vanhoof
 Vanhoof in 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 December 1991 Mol, Belgium |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | BMX racing |
| Role | Rider |
Medal record | |
Elke Vanhoof (born 16 December 1991) is a former Belgian female BMX rider. She represented her nation at international competitions.
Career
[edit]In 2014 Vanhoof won the European League BMX (since then renamed BMX European Cup) in the elite category .[1] After that successful 2014 season, and with an eye on the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she joined the Belgian Armed Forces's elite athlete topsport program.[2]
In June 2015, despite having posted the fastest run of the competition, Vanhoof missed out on a medal at the inaugural edition of the 2015 European Games in Bacu, Azerbaijian due to a fall in the women's BMX final. Less than a month later she bounced back and won the gold medal at the European Championships in Erp, The Netherlands.[3][4] At the end of July, she went on to compete in the time trial event and race event at the 2015 UCI BMX World Championships on home turf in Zolder, Belgium but failed to win a medal. She did renew her BMX European Cup title of 2014 winning it for the second year in a row.[2]
In January 2016, Vanhoof tore the meniscus of her left knee in training but decided not to have surgery in order not to compromise her chances of going to the Games.[5][6] By reaching the final, semi-final and final resp. of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup events in Santiago del Estero (Argentina), Manchester (Great Britain) and Papendal (The Netherlands), she nonetheless managed to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[6] At the Olympics, having qualified by for the final, Vanhoof got off to a good start but was hampered early in the race by a crash involving Frenchwoman Manon Valentino and then again impeded by a tumble from Dutchwoman Laura Smulders, and had to settle for 6th place.[7]
In December 2024 she announced her retirement from the sport as an athlete.[8] In October 2026 however, Vanhoof announced a surprise comeback, not as a BMX rider, but as a track cyclist and that she had been selected by Belgian Cycling to represent her country at the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai, China as starter for the women's team sprint.[9]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Elke Vanhoof wint European League BMX" [Elke Vanhoof wins European League BMX]. het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 18 July 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- 1 2 "My 2015: Looking back with European Champion Elke Vanhoof (BEL) on 2015". FatBMX The Bmx Network. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ "Elke Vanhoof is Europees kampioene BMX" [Elke Vanhoof is European BMX champion]. Sporza (in Dutch). 13 July 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ "Charlotte Green finished seventh on a challenging day for the Great Britain Cycling Team at the UEC European BMX Championships on Sunday". British Cycling. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ "'Niet denken. Doen!'" [‘Don’t think. Do!’]. De Standaard (in Dutch). 8 May 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- 1 2 "BMX'ster Vanhoof mag (met afscheurde meniscus) naar Rio" [BMX rider Vanhoof allowed to go to Rio (with a torn meniscus)]. Sporza (in Dutch). 21 May 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ "Elke Vanhoof 6e de la finale de BMX" [Elke Vanhoof 6th in the BMX final]. RTBF (in French). 21 May 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
- ↑ "Tweevoudig olympiër Elke Vanhoof zet punt achter BMX-carrière: "Deze reis was buitengewoon"" [Two-time Olympian Elke Vanhoof ends BMX career: "This journey was extraordinary"]. Sporza (in Dutch). 9 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ↑ ""Plottwist" rond Elke Vanhoof: anderhalf jaar na BMX-afscheid trekt ze naar WK baanwielrennen" ["Plot twist" surrounding Elke Vanhoof: a year and a half after retiring from BMX, she is heading to the Track Cycling World Championships.]. Sporza (in Dutch). 2 October 2026. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
External links
[edit]- Elke Vanhoof at ProCyclingStats
- Elke Vanhoof at UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Results
- Elke Vanhoof at MTB Data
- Elke Vanhoof at Olympics.com
- Elke Vanhoof at Team Belgium (in Dutch)
- Elke Vanhoof at Olympedia
- Elke Vanhoof at InterSportStats
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- 1991 births
- Living people
- BMX riders
- 21st-century Belgian sportswomen
- Belgian female cyclists
- Cyclists at the 2015 European Games
- European Games competitors for Belgium
- Olympic cyclists for Belgium
- Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Cyclists from Mol, Belgium
- Belgian cycling biography, 1990s birth stubs
- Belgian lesbian sportswomen