The life of a champion gymnastic star

She lives out of a suitcase and moves between two cities every week.

This is the sacrifice it takes to be great.

Local gymnastic star Dominique Mann has won both the National and African Aerobic Gymnastics Championship titles as well as been awarded Kwazulu Natal’s Sportswoman of the year in 2007.

Mann travels to the B’rits high performance centre in Johannesburg every Monday to train, and returns home to Ballito every weekend.

“I am a hectic Durban girl, so I put off the move to train in Johannesburg for a few years, until it was time to take my training to the next level.”

From Monday to Friday Dominique has a jam packed schedule having to travel an hour outside of Joburg every day for gymnastics training at B’rits for four hours.

She runs in and out of Woolworths to grab a snack and eats on the run before her three hour athletics track training in the afternoon.

Dominique, being the competition junky that she is, recently took up pole-vaulting on top of her gymnastics training.

“Pole vaulting and gym go hand in hand. They both have the same strength component so I clicked with the sport very quickly. It actually cuts out half my gym training.”

As if that was not enough she has to fit in gym work outs three times a week and a core programme whenever she can.

“If I cut my gym work outs, I can feel that I am lacking in strength and feeling lazy. But when I do gym, I feel on top of the world. It makes a big difference.”

Every Wednesday afternoon Dominique coaches gymnastics choreographing routines and helps young gymnasts in any way she can.

“I feel it is very important to give back to your sport and to help the younger generation grow as much as you can. I love to put smiles on as many kids’ faces as I can.”

Once back in Durban on a Friday afternoon Dominique does not put her feet up and relax for the weekend – she continues to train hard.

She has one-on-one training with her Durban-based national coach on Friday afternoons and Saturdays are devoted to athletics.

On the off chance that she has a free moment she enjoys spending time with her dancing friends and South African swimmer boyfriend, Charl Crous.

The Ballito athlete, together with her partner Wilson Mafona, recently made waves on the world stage in Portugal by snatching seventh place, out of 25 countries, away from Germany in the finals of the FIG Aerobic World Cup on May 18.

Dominique recently left to compete in the World Championships in Mexico, where she will be entering the mixed pairs and trio categories.