1/2 Lieve Warmoeskerken and Tom de Klerck took World Cup gold.
Tom de Klerck (25) from Sint-Michielsgestel and Lieve Warmoeskerken (18) from Best can call themselves world champions in pole sports. The Duo Pole Position team was too strong for the competition this weekend in Argentina, although the end of their performance threatened to throw a spanner in the works. “We finished ten seconds too early, that’s quite a long time, I can tell you,” says the Brabant native.
Lieve has already participated in a World Cup five times before, but this time for the first time together with a man. Coach Cindy Cooijmans paired her with Tom de Klerck, who ended up in pole sports three years ago after judo, boxing and fitness. It turned out to be a golden combination.
“It went quite well, we could be satisfied. Until we still had ten seconds left at the end. You can improvise something quickly on your own, but with two people it is difficult,” says Lieve.
“We looked at each other and with trial and error we made it to the end. For example, I walked to the other pole and gracefully raised my arms, Tom started turning a bit,” she continues. “You have to do something, standing still is not an option,” Tom adds, laughing.
“We shouted and hugged each other.”
We then had to wait for the jury’s assessment and how it was assessed compared to the other participants in the World Cup. Tom: “At first we were disappointed, but that quickly turned into joy. Fortunately, it fell our way. The relief was enormous, the tension fell away from us. We shouted, hugged each other and heard the applause from the audience.”
After the golden race, Lieve could really start enjoying herself. “I tried that too during our four-minute performance, but it’s difficult. You have to think about so many things, your mind is constantly on.”
Lieve and Tom call the trip to Argentina ‘four very expensive minutes’, but one they will never forget. The duo hopes to continue with top sport together and win more prizes. “We want to do even better next time and get even higher points.”
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