Lowveld gymnasts raise the bar at SA champs in Pretoria
The National Gymnastics Championships are the pinnacle of domestic competition for these young gymnasts of the Lowveld.
A group of gymnasts of the Nelspruit Gymnastics Academy (NGA) flew the Lowveld flag high at the recent national championships in Pretoria, with Servaas Prinsloo even winning his third consecutive national title.
Gymnastics SA’s National Gymnastics Championships were held at the Gymnastics SA National Training Centre in Eldoraigne, Pretoria from October 3 to 9, and Servaas was the most successful of the NGA participants. Participating in the Level 6 (13 to 18 years) section, Servaas once again emerged as the South African champion. Two years ago he was the Level 4 champion, and last year, the Level 5 winner.
He won gold medals on the pommel horse and the P-bar, silver on the high bar and bronze on the floor, while finishing fourth on vault and fifth on rings. Servaas is also a coach at NGA and works with kids aged three to 13 years, under the guidance of coach Russel Xolani Mculu, who has been a coach at NGA for nearly 14 years.
Hot on Servaas’ heels was Dylan Geldard, who took part in the same section as Servaas and finished second overall. Dylan won gold on the high bar, silver on rings and vault as well as bronze on the P-bar, fourth on the floor and fifth on the pommel horse. Hugo Taljaard, also in the same section, came seventh overall and won a bronze medal on vault.
The only other NGA gymnast to finish inside the top three overall during nationals was Lily Renaud in Level 7 (12 to 13 years). She finished third overall with a gold medal on bar and a bronze medal on beam. Lily was also selected to represent South Africa at the Region 5 Gymnastics Games in Namibia in December.
A further four NGA gymnasts received medals on various apparatus. Adrianna Wright, Level 6 (13 years), won bronze on the floor; Xiluva Mhlanga, Level 6 (7 to 11 years), won bronze on the bar and finished fifth overall; Jeane Greeff, Level 5 (13 years), won bronze on the beam and finished seventh overall; and Kobus van Rensburg, Level 4 (10 years) won bronze on pommel horse and finished sixth overall.
Seven more local gymnasts finished inside the top 10 on various apparatus – Vanessa van Rensburg, Hannah Morgado, Cayla Fourie, Mia Theron, Zelme Schoonraad, Theodore Magonyane and Carli Hopkins.
