Beckett Adds Gold to SA’s Gymnastics Glitter

Kirsten Beckett’s rise on the international gymnastics scene continues to flourish, with her securing the title of Women’s Senior Artistic African Champion at the 12th African Gymnastics Championships in Artistic and Rhythmic gymnastics, currently underway in Tshwane, South Africa.

Beckett, currently with a World Ranking of 5th on Vault as at March 2014, was in a league of her own at the Championships. She attained the highest scores on all four artistic apparatus.

Beckett’s Individual All-round performance saw her complete solid clean routines on all four apparatus, leading the pack with a total score of 53.80. The Silver medal went to fellow South African Bianca Mann with a score of 50.650, with Bronze going to Egyptian Rowan Wageeh with 49.850.

Now with the opportunity to further her Gold medal tally on the weekend, Beckett is scheduled to compete in all 4 Apparatus Finals.

In addition to Beckett’s Individual All-round Gold, the South African team in the Senior Artistic Category also took home Gold on the night, when the champ was joined by fellow team members Mann, Claudia Cummins, Alessandra Thompson and Angela Maguire to achieved a team score of 154.40, edging Egypt in second with a team score of 151.55, and Morocco with 126.25.

Gymnastics South Africa now has two 2014 Africa Champions and two team gold medals, that in Artistic and in Rhythmic gymnastics, with Grace Legote and the senior Rhythmic team also having won gold the previous night.

(Click here to read about Grace Legote sealing a life-long dream to become Africa’s top Rhythmic gymnast, winning the Individual All-round category)

With the All-round categories now complete, the Championships move into the Apparatus Finals stage, where Gymnastics South Africa looks forward to more great performances and medals to come by the home gymnasts.

As the governing body for gymnastics in the geographic bounds of South Africa, the South African Gymnastics Federation governs dine disciplines, and is actively involved from grassroots development to elite gymnastics in all nine Provinces of South Africa, with the assistance of its provincial affiliates.

Photo caption: The South African Gymnastics Federation’s Senior Artistic team won gold, when new Women’s Senior Artistic African champ Kirsten Beckett joined Bianca Mann, Claudia Cummins, Alessandra Thompson and Angela Maguire to edge Egypt for Africa’s Women’s Senior Artistic Championship, on Saturday 29 April, 2014, at the 12th African Gymnastics Championships held at the University of Pretoria Indoor Sports Centre, in Tshwane. Photo: SASPA

(With editing by gsport)