Olympic artistic gymnasts Caitlin Rooskrantz and Naveen Daries will lead the South African women’s team that will compete at the 17th African Artistic Gymnastics Championships at Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane from 25-27 May 2023.
Team SA will want to emulate and outdo their incredible performance at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games where they placed fourth, their best ever finish at the event.
Rooskrantz, claimed South Africa’s first medal in the uneven bars in Commonwealth Games history, winning a bronze medal. Daries placed sixth in the all-around competition, the highest-ever finish achieved by a South African gymnast.
Alongside them will be Caleigh Anders, Shante Koti, and Garcelle Napier. Meanwhile, Meghan Pead and Karma Visagie have been shortlisted as reserves, in the event that the existing team members are forced to withdraw.
“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 Johannesburg-born Rooskrantz.
“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.” – South African gymnastics champion, Caitlin Rooskrantz
Rooskrantz, is not only the national champion but also the defending African champion, she became the first South African woman to achieve this feat since 2014 and in foreign conditions to boot.
“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,” she said.
The hosts, who will be gunning for top honours on home soil, will be marshalled by first class coaches Ilse Pelser and Leeland Christian from the Johannesburg Gymnastics Club, where they both oversee gymnasts at the club.
As the event draws nearer Rooskrantz says preparation is going very well: “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 practice 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.”
The South African team 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.
“We are very excited to host the 17th African Artistic Gymnastics Championships,” says Donovan Jurgens, President of Gymnastics South Africa. “This is a great opportunity for our top gymnasts to compete in a major international competition in front of their home crowd. It’s also an ideal event for the African gymnastics community to come together and celebrate the sport we love. We invite South Africa to join us over the three days and witness the best gymnasts on the continent in action.”
Entrance to the 17th African Artistic Gymnastics Championships is free of charge and the public is encouraged to come and support South Africa’s top gymnasts.
Photo 1 Caption: Olympic artistic gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz previously pictured at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: Caitlin Rooskrantz (Instagram)
(0 rating, 0 votes, rated)
Loading...
