South Africa’s superstar gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz has secured her spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Rooskrantz also led the country’s Gymnastics team to record a historic 19th place finish.
“By God’s grace, I have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. It’s been a long month of competing in three different countries, with its share of ups and downs. Not everything went exactly as planned, but we are coming home with an Olympic ticket, and that’s all that matters! Thank you to my incredible team, and I’m blessed to be part of such a special group.”
“Gymnasts had to qualify through various international competitions over a three-year period, making it a challenging journey to secure a spot at the games and making it even more remarkable that Caitlin managed to secure a ticket, given the hurdles she overcame.”
Speaking of Caitlin’s remarkable achievement, Ilser Pelser National Coach of the Senior Women’s Artistic team said: “This is Caitlin’s highest total yet at a World Championships, and we are incredibly proud of her.”
Team South Africa also achieved a historic 19th place finish at the World Championships. With three of the gymnasts making a debut in the World Championships last week, clean routes, team work and dedication saw them through.
“This year, the African champions broke into the top 20 in the world, finishing in 19th place, with 16 for 16 clean routines. At this level, under this type of pressure, with three gymnasts competing in their very first World Championships, this truly is a remarkable achievement,” added Pelser.
Donny Jurgens, the President of Gymnastics South Africa, added, “Words can hardly describe how immensely proud I am as President today. These girls and their coaches have worked very hard to achieve their dreams. Now it is up to us to make sure they get all the help they need to get to the next level.
“This is the second time that Caitlin has automatically qualified at a World Championship due to her outstanding performances over the previous three years,” said Jurgens. “South Africa also has an opportunity to qualify one more South African gymnast at the African Championships that will be held next year.”
The SA Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team that Competed at the 2023 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships:
Caleigh Anders
Naveen Daries
Shante Koti
Garcelle Napier
Caitlin Rooskrantz
Photo Caption: To international acclaim, Caitlin Rooskrantz has secured her ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Rooskrantz also led her team to a remarkable 19th place finish at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Photo: Supplied
Photo 2 Caption: Team South Africa also achieved a historic 19th place finish at the World Championships – South Africa has broken into the top 20, with three of the gymnasts having made their debut at the World Championships. Photo: Supplied
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