In a few days’ time, the cream of South Africa’s artistic gymnastics talent will compete against the best on the continent for honours at the 17th African Artistic Gymnastics Championships at Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane.
The women’s team will be spearheaded by Olympic gymnasts Caitlin Rooskrantz and Naveen Daries, and will also comprise Caleigh Anders, Shante Koti and Garcelle Napier.
Meghan Pead and Karma Visagie have been shortlisted as reserves, should any of the existing team members be forced to withdraw. The team will be marshalled by top coaches Ilse Pelser and Leeland Christian, who both oversee gymnasts at their club, Johannesburg Gymnastics Club (JGC).
Join us for the 17th African Artistic Gymnastics Championships which will be hosted in South Africa this year from 25-27 May at the Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane! Entry is free.
Here's the event programme for #AFCH 2023!
More here- https://t.co/czvOeKzwQz#GymnasticsSA pic.twitter.com/uhIKiQePbN
— Gymnastics South Africa (@SAGymnastics) May 17, 2023
The men’s team will comprise three gymnasts: Muhammed Khalid Mia, Aidan Maguire and Ruan Lange, who will be accompanied by coaches Kevin Basson (Visions Gymnastics Club) and Gerrard Ferreira (Centurion Gymnastics Club).
The South African women’s team achieved unprecedented success at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, finishing fourth overall, their best-ever finish at the event.
Daries placed sixth in the all-around competition, the highest-ever finish achieved by a South African gymnast. Rooskrantz secured a bronze medal in the uneven bars in the individual events competition.
Rooskrantz, not only the national champion but also the defending African champion, having annexed this title in Egypt last year, became the first South African woman to achieve this feat since 2014 and in foreign conditions to boot.
“Our team this year is similar to that of last year, so we’d like to use these championships to build on what we’ve achieved in the past. Victory for our team will secure direct qualification for World Championships, which is well within our capabilities, especially on home soil,” said Rooskrantz.
“Personally, I’d like to have a clean competition and try to defend my all-around title, as well as my uneven bars title that I’ve held for a few years.”
“The preparation is going very well and we’re all excited to compete. Our two head coaches, Ilse and Leeland, have given us all the support and helped us to get to where we are, and since the team is all from JGC, we’ve been able to practise together daily and build our team morale even more. It’s the first time since 2014 that the Championships are back in South Africa, so we’re hoping for a successful event,” she added.
Among the men, Maguire and Mia both performed extremely well in Egypt last year, and while they weren’t able to secure either of the two places reserved for African gymnasts at the Olympic Games, they nevertheless represented the country with pride, finishing sixth and eighth respectively overall.
Don't miss team SA 🇿🇦 take on Wales 🏴 in the historic WAG competition which will be held at Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane from 25-27 May 2023!
Here's details and the programme. For more info and which gymnasts are taking part click here – https://t.co/q6PoC9ibB9#GymnasticsSA pic.twitter.com/fQapWuj0O6
— Gymnastics South Africa (@SAGymnastics) May 17, 2023
“All three of the team members have been training together, which helps to boost our team spirit and performance. We have also been competing together for about eight years, so we’ve come a long way in one another’s company. Since we are a small team, we all need to have a good competition to help the team score but if we do manage this, we can achieve a podium finish and go to World Championships as a team if we finish first,” said Maguire, whose sister Angela was also previously a member of the national team.
“Egypt is our biggest competition, but we are also wary of Algeria and Morocco, who have strong gymnasts,” he continued.
It is clear that the threat from the north African nations is present, but the South African team, both men and women, will be hoping to use their home advantage to garner many medals and secure automatic World Championship qualification, both as a team and as individuals.
This article was provided by ASEM Engage.
