Gymnasts succeed at African Champs

NAMIBIAN gymnasts who competed at the recent African Gymnastics Championships in Cape Town, South Africa, delivered excellent performances in their various categories.

Namibia was represented by a delegation of 29 gymnasts and officials. The Namibians competed in the artistic, trampoline and rhythmic disciplines against gymnasts from Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Libya, Senegal, Tunisia and host South Africa.In rhythmic gymnastics, the two junior gymnasts Nicole Bierbach and Mirja Stoldt achieved fourth and seventh place in the all-round individual competition and clinched a silver medal in the team event behind South Africa.A team usually consists of four gymnasts, and the best two routines per apparatus are counted.With the knowledge that they could not afford to spoil a routine, the two Namibians performed well in their routines.In the senior category, Tamarin van Rhyn was the only Namibian gymnast and finished in 10th position.The women’s artistic junior team finished in second place behind South Africa.In the all-round competition, Lynique Louw came fifth, Kimberley-Ann van Zyl sixth, Chloe Hansen seventh, Nonna van der Merwe 11th and Michelle Solomons 12th.In the apparatus finals Kimberley-Ann van Zyl clinched a bronze medal for vault.The only Namibian competitor in the senior category was Ramona Beukes, who finished fourth in the all-round competition but excelled in the apparatus finals with one silver and two bronze medals for beam, bar and floor.In the junior men’s artistic competition, Alexander Mudge finished ninth in the all-round ranking, but won a bronze medal on the pommel horse.Senior competitor Ulrich Schoeman finished 12th overall, while Robert Honiball injured himself in training and could not participate.The trampoline gymnasts proved to be the most successful ones.The junior girls’ team (Jeanine Joosten, Michelle Solomons, Michelle Boucher) and the junior boys’ team (Carel-David Rautenbach, Yledon van Neel, Andrew Maruta and Kyledon van Neel) both clinched gold.On top of that, Carel-David Rautenbach was crowned as the new African Champion in the individual junior category, with Yledon van Neel in third place.Another bronze medal in the individual junior competition went to Jeanine Joosten.Alicia Boucher was crowned African Champion in the senior women’s event, Frikkie Botes finished in sixth place in the senior men’s competition, while winning second place together with his partner Carel-David Rautenbach in the senior synchro event.The women synchro event was won by Alicia Boucher and Jeanine Joosten, while the two junior synchro teams, Michelle Solomons/Michelle Boucher and the brothers Yledon and Kyledon van Neel, clinched silver.The head of the Namibian delegation to the African Championships, Dongina Risser, was delighted with the performance of her gymnasts.She commended the team for their outstanding team spirit and exemplary behaviour at the competition.The next big event for the Namibian Gymnastics Federation (NGF) is the Zone 6 Competition for Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics as well as Trampoline and Tumbling in Harare, Zimbabwe.This competition takes place from December 7 to 13.The Namibians competed in the artistic, trampoline and rhythmic disciplines against gymnasts from Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Libya, Senegal, Tunisia and host South Africa.In rhythmic gymnastics, the two junior gymnasts Nicole Bierbach and Mirja Stoldt achieved fourth and seventh place in the all-round individual competition and clinched a silver medal in the team event behind South Africa.A team usually consists of four gymnasts, and the best two routines per apparatus are counted.With the knowledge that they could not afford to spoil a routine, the two Namibians performed well in their routines.In the senior category, Tamarin van Rhyn was the only Namibian gymnast and finished in 10th position.The women’s artistic junior team finished in second place behind South Africa.In the all-round competition, Lynique Louw came fifth, Kimberley-Ann van Zyl sixth, Chloe Hansen seventh, Nonna van der Merwe 11th and Michelle Solomons 12th.In the apparatus finals Kimberley-Ann van Zyl clinched a bronze medal for vault.The only Namibian competitor in the senior category was Ramona Beukes, who finished fourth in the all-round competition but excelled in the apparatus finals with one silver and two bronze medals for beam, bar and floor.In the junior men’s artistic competition, Alexander Mudge finished ninth in the all-round ranking, but won a bronze medal on the pommel horse.Senior competitor Ulrich Schoeman finished 12th overall, while Robert Honiball injured himself in training and could not participate.The trampoline gymnasts proved to be the most successful ones.The junior girls’ team (Jeanine Joosten, Michelle Solomons, Michelle Boucher) and the junior boys’ team (Carel-David Rautenbach, Yledon van Neel, Andrew Maruta and Kyledon van Neel) both clinched gold.On top of that, Carel-David Rautenbach was crowned as the new African Champion in the individual junior category, with Yledon van Neel in third place.Another bronze medal in the individual junior competition went to Jeanine Joosten.Alicia Boucher was crowned African Champion in the senior women’s event, Frikkie Botes finished in sixth place in the senior men’s competition, while winning second place together with his partner Carel-David Rautenbach in the senior synchro event.The women synchro event was won by Alicia Boucher and Jeanine Joosten, while the two junior synchro teams, Michelle Solomons/Michelle Boucher and the brothers Yledon and Kyledon van Neel, clinched silver.The head of the Namibian delegation to the African Championships, Dongina Risser, was delighted with the performance of her gymnasts.She commended the team for their outstanding team spirit and exemplary behaviour at the competition.The next big event for the Namibian Gymnastics Federation (NGF) is the Zone 6 Competition for Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics as well as Trampoline and Tumbling in Harare, Zimbabwe.This competition takes place from December 7 to 13.