Visions Gymnastics very own Muhammad Khaalid Mia was named the Junior Men’s Artistic Gymnast of the Year.
Awards were handed out to gymnasts for their successes achieved in 2014.
The 17-year-old gymnast was surprised as he heard his name called out at the South African Gymnastics Federation Awards Ceremony held in Boksburg.
“I was really surprised as I didn’t expect my name to be called out. There has been some outstanding gymnasts so it was really confusing for me. However this shows that my hard work is paying off as it’s been a tough year,” he said.
Mia, who is currently in grade 11 and is preparing for his end of year exams starting this week, has had to juggle his school work and gymnastics activities.
“I’ve had to make sacrifices because grade 11 is difficult. This means I have not rested much this year and it’s not easy. If I’m not training then I’m studying, that’s how my year has been,” he said.
After his exams, Mia will focus on his training as he prepares to qualify for next year’s African Championships.
“Next year I will be in matric and it will be an interesting year. There will be plenty of overseas competitions I will be trying to compete in. This will mean that I will be out of the country a lot but I’m excited at that prospect,” he said.
Mia is determined to excel at gymnastics and wants to carve a career from the sport he is passionate about.
“Unlike others, I’m not going to stop gymnastics when I enter university. I will continue to juggle my varsity work and gymnastics activities. I want to be a gymnast until im 30-years-old. This goal has allowed me to put all my effort in and spare nothing. It gives me something positive to work towards,” he said.
Mia dreams of studying aboard by getting a gymnastics scholarship and working hard to represent South Africa at the Olympics.
“My favourite apparatus is bar and floor because those are working the best for me right now. They may seem easy but they’re not. I also want to participate in the World Championships and compete hard to rank in the top 10 in the competition,” he said.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX18NKZEbNA&feature=youtu.be
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