Tumbler brings home gold from shores of Mauritius
In 2019, she won the floating trophy again but this time for Female Tumbler of the Year.
Amana Aboobaker (10), a tumbler at the Eagle Tumbling Club in Northmead, recently went to Mauritius to compete in an international championship.
She started tumbling in October 2015 and has been loving every minute of the sport since.
Only nine at the time, Aboobaker was the only competitor to walk away with three gold medals in Mauritius.
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“We went as a family – mom, dad and little brother,” said Zakiyya Bhabha, Aboobaker’s mum.
“Amana was only nine and we were not ready to send her alone, so we decided to make it a family holiday.”
Aboobaker said she enjoyed swimming with dolphins, snorkelling and on one of the days going crab hunting with a children’s club, which she found fascinating.
“She loved the hotel as it was on the beach and the views were amazing,” explained Bhabha.
“We were there for a week and met up with the rest of the South African tumbling team for training.”
The competition took place on a Saturday and Aboobaker walked away with gold medals in three disciplines – floor, bench and trampoline.
“This was the first time she had ever won three gold medals,” explained Bhabha.
“All three routines were almost perfect and the scores were taken out of 30.”
• Floor: 28.50/30
• Bench: 27.40/30
• Trampoline: 27.50/30
“These medals mean a lot to me,” said Aboobaker.
“Not only because I won the medals in another country but also because this was my first time out of the country.”
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Achievements Aboobaker is most proud of include:
• In 2018, she won the floating trophy after learning to do a flic-flac with coach Tracy Lathwood and was promoted to the high level training with coach Wiehan Koetze.
• In 2019, she won the floating trophy again but this time for Female Tumbler of the Year.
• In 2020, attending the championship in Mauritius and walking away with three gold medals for the first time since she’s been participating in the SAAerialnastix.
Aboobaker sees herself doing, in her words, ‘cooler tricks’ than she is now and being as good as her coach in the next five years.
“When I grow up, I want to be an architect. I love to draw and would love to someday be able to design houses. “But my dream is to one day compete in the Olympic Games,” said Aboobaker.
Bhabha said:
“Her bench and trampoline in Mauritius were perfected by coach Ann Trent and a coach from Alberton Twisters and her floor was thanks to coach Wiehan.
“We are very proud of Amana and all she has accomplished and say thank you to all her coaches and supporters.”
Cindy McCall-Peat, owner of Eagle Tumbling Club, said:
“It is not surprising that Amana won three gold medals in Mauritius as she works hard and is very dedicated to her sport.
“She also has a very supportive mum who makes sure she attends classes regularly and is well prepared for her competitions.
“Amana has a bright future ahead of her and my congratulations to a well-deserved victory for Amana, Eagles RSA and coach Wiehan.”
