Gymnasts excel at Nationals
Local gymnasts from Vision Gymnastics shine at the 2013 High Performance National Gymnastics Championships.
Seventeen of Visions Gymnastics Club’s gymnasts qualified to represent Gauteng at the 2013 High Performance National Gymnastics Championships.
Among these were local gymnasts Beate Malan, Taryn Viljoen, Van Zyl Steyn and Muhammad Khaalid Mia, who all received top honours for their performances.
Malan claimed one bronze medal and an all-around 6th place, while Viljoen entered into the high school section and finished 15th. Steyn finished with four gold, one silver and an all-around first place for his section. He was selected into the SAGF ZONE 6 team to compete in Zimbabwe later this year. Khaalid Mia also showed why Visions gymnasts are tops: he won his section with a record margin, and with it claimed four golds, two silvers and an all-around first. He was selected to represent South Africa later this year in the Czech Republic as part of a build-up for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games qualification.
Visions’ Club captains, Michael Makings and Bianca Mann, competed in the senior Olympic sections.
They represented the club well and Mann finished with two bronze, two silver and an all-around 3rd. She did this in the midst of her matric exams, making it a truly remarkable performance.
Makings was crowned South Africa’s top male gymnast, claiming a total of eight medals along with his title. He and coach Derick Scholtz were selected to represent South Africa at the 2013 World championships in Antwerp, Belgium in September.
“It is always rewarding to see that the hours of training these young gymnasts put in every day pays off, and we are extremely proud of all our gymnasts and coaches,” said Adele Heine, high performance coach and the club’s owner.
In addition to these top performers, Visions Gymnastics’ other gymnasts at the National Championships excelled by bringing home 41 medals and three new national champions in their age groups. The club is currently preparing for the next series of competitions for the younger levels, beginning on 20 July.
Details: 011-475-7198, www.visionsgymnastics.co.za
