Lily Renaud, a Lowveld gymnast, took on competitors from eight southern African countries at the Region 5 Competition in Namibia, shining bright to earn two individual and one team medal during the competition.

The Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Region 5 Competition was held in Windhoek from December 8 to 12 and featured gymnasts from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Angola and Mozambique battling it out for Southern African glory.

Lily, a Grade Seven learner at Curro Nelspruit and a member of the Nelspruit Gymnastics Academy (NGA), competed in the level 7 (12 to 13 years) category and was part of SA’s junior team. She was also the only gymnast from Mpumalanga competing.

Lily’s talent shone through and she managed to place first on the uneven bars and tied-third on the vault, securing two individual medals. Team SA’s junior team was also able to secure the overall gold medal, handing Lily a third medal for the competition.

It’s been a special year for this talented Lowveld gymnast. Lily finished third overall at the SA National Gymnastics Championships in October with a further two apparatus medals. She was also recently named the NGA girls gymnast of the year.