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Get to know Belgian rings specialist Glen Cuyle
October 22, 2025News
With his spot in the World Championships final on the rings, Glen Cuyle has taken a historic step for Belgian men’s artistic gymnastics. It is only the second apparatus final ever for a Belgian man at a World Championships, after Donny Truyens on pommel horse in 2010. This milestone confirms that Belgian men’s artistic gymnastics has firmly claimed its place on the international stage. But who is Glen Cuyle — and what has his journey been like?
Identical twins Glen and Nicola Cuyle have become mainstays in the Belgian national team. At the age of twelve they both moved to the elite sports school in Ghent. Since 2020 Glen has trained under head coach and former Olympian Koen Van Damme.
At the Olympic Games in Paris, Glen was one of the youngest male gymnasts competing and the only one among the 48 apparatus finalists with no previous final experience at a European, World or Olympic Championships. In the qualifications, he achieved his personal best with 14.900 points, good enough for 4th place. His 8th place in the final gave perspective for the future. Shortly thereafter, however, he was set back by a nerve injury in his neck, followed by a rehabilitation period. In June 2025 he made his comeback, with a first highlight being victory at the World Challenge Cup in Paris. With a routine that is technically among the strongest in Europe, his confidence grew heading into the World Championships.
Cuyle made his World Championships debut front of the Antwerp home crow in 2023, where he placed 14th in the qualifications. Two years later, at the 2025 World Championships in Jakarta, he climbed to 7th place.
Making the final was my goal at this Worlds. The qualifications went well, but you never know what everyone else will do. In the coming days we’re working on the details, fully focused on Friday. In the final I mainly want to execute my routine well again and focus on stability — what follows from that, we’ll see.
After his remarkable Olympic final in Paris, Cuyle confirms his status as a rings specialist at world level. Where he stood out in Paris as an outsider, he now enters as a recognized finalist, stating:
“This is a step I have worked hard for. I am proud, but this is not the end point.”
The peak years for rings specialists come later than for many other gymnasts. While Cuyle, at 23, already belongs to the world top, his highest peak still lies ahead. Together with the Flemish Gymnastics Federation Gymfed and Topsport Defensie he is building a long‑term plan with one clear goal: staying permanently among the world elite. Cuyle’s final place symbolises a broader development within Belgian men’s artistic gymnastics. Coach Van Damme echoes: “We have proven that we can compete — now we want to stay there.”
Photos: Gymfed
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