Naveen Daries: I Am a Sponsor’s Dream

My name is Naveen Daries and I am an Artistic Gymnast. I was born in Pretoria, Gauteng. I have been doing gymnastics since the young age of 7 (now 21). I am the current National Champion for 2022 and have achieved many national and provincial titles in my sport. I am now living in Johannesburg and train at JGC Gymnastics, a centre for many high-performance athletes like myself.

Gymnastics has been part of my life for 14 years and ultimately it has helped me grow into the best athlete and version of myself. Gymnastics has and continues to teach me many life skills I will use for the rest of my life, perseverance, hard work and how to stay motivated in the toughest situations.

Gymnastics is a big part of who I am, and my goal remains the same, as I continue my journey. I want little gymnasts to know that if you put in the work and make the hard sacrifices that it is possible to achieve your dreams.

Qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics (2020/2021) is not the end of my story, and I will do my best and whatever it takes to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“When little girls see me, they see hope, they see that their dreams for their future in gymnastics can be a reality.” – South African Artistic Gymnast, Naveen Daries

I train 6 days a week adding up to 26 hours a week. Dedicating my life to gymnastics has allowed me to travel the world and learn from gymnasts all over the world by making numerous World Cup finals, Historic finishes at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 and African Championships podium finishes.

I want to continue to strive for the best so I can achieve my dream of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

To make my dream a reality, I need to raise funds and search for sponsors so that we can continue to grow Artistic Gymnastics in South Africa. To allow little gymnasts to keep dreaming and to stay hopeful for our sport.  – Naveen Daries

My achievements:

– Junior National Champion (2015)
– Junior Commonwealth Championship (2016)
– Senior National Champion (2017,2019,2022)
– World Championships (2017,2018,2019,2022)
– Commonwealth Games (2018,2022)
– Historic 6th AA final at Commonwealth Games (2022)
– Tokyo Olympic Games (2020/2021)

Every year and every little achievement I get to tick off is progress in the right direction, it shows my determination and love for my sport.

Women are changing the game in sport and paving the way for the little girls with big dreams. We need sponsors to help us grow, learn and to achieve our highest potential, without having to worry about how we will come by financially so that we can show the world what we are capable of.

I am currently training for my spot in the African Championship team in May where we can qualify a full team to this year’s World Championships and from there Qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024.