SA And Wales To Compete In Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Challenge 2023
Tshwane, South Africa: Gymnastics South Africa today announced that running concurrently with the 17th African Gymnastics Championships at Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane from 25-27 May 2023, South Africa and Wales will compete against each other in an artistic gymnastics challenge akin to a Test match between the two countries.
Being of similar standard on the world stage, South Africa and Wales have built a solid friendship and camaraderie over the years and Welsh teams and gymnasts have competed in various competitions in South Africa over the past number of years.
While no prize money will be at stake for the competitors, the aim of the challenge is to provide gymnasts from both countries with a platform where they can gain experience on an international stage. To this end, South Africa’s young and upcoming future Olympic level gymnasts will have the opportunity to showcase their talents in the heat of battle, on home soil. The experience that these young gymnasts will gain by performing their routines in front of an enthusiastic home crowd will provide them with the know-how to handle more daunting competitions and events in foreign environments going forward.
The South African team will comprise Karma Visagie, Buhle Nhleko, Zelme Daries (younger sister of last year’s national champion Naveen Daries), Nkazimlo Matyolo and Nicky Smook, and will be accompanied by coach Candice Visser. The host nation will use this competition as preparation for the Commonwealth Games in 2026.
The Welsh team will contain Jemima Taylor, Ellie Lewis, Lexi Holmes and Ffion Burgum, whose routines will be overseen by coaches Megan Jenkins and Tracey Skirton Davies. Although this team is a team of juniors, Jemima Taylor is widely regarded as a future world champion and is the star of the team.
The team competition as well as the individual all-around competition will run concurrently on the morning of Thursday 25 May, while the apparatus finals will take place over the next two days. The vault and uneven bars final will be contested on Friday 26 May and the beam and floor finals will take place on Saturday 27 May.
According to South Africa’s African Championships head coach, Ilse Roets Pelser, “We have a long-standing relationship with Welsh Gymnastics. Last year, our Olympic gymnasts trained in Wales in preparation for the World Championships in Liverpool, and the Welsh team have competed many times in South Africa before as well.”
“We’re looking forward to a good competition,” continued Roets Pelser.
Gymnastics South Africa hope to stage similar style team competitions in future in order to equip the country’s future gymnastics talent with the experience necessary to take their skills to the next level.
Tshwane, South Africa: Gymnastics South Africa today announced that running concurrently with the 17th African Gymnastics Championships at Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane from 25-27 May 2023, South Africa and Wales will compete against each other in an artistic gymnastics challenge akin to a Test match between the two countries.
Being of similar standard on the world stage, South Africa and Wales have built a solid friendship and camaraderie over the years and Welsh teams and gymnasts have competed in various competitions in South Africa over the past number of years.
While no prize money will be at stake for the competitors, the aim of the challenge is to provide gymnasts from both countries with a platform where they can gain experience on an international stage. To this end, South Africa’s young and upcoming future Olympic level gymnasts will have the opportunity to showcase their talents in the heat of battle, on home soil. The experience that these young gymnasts will gain by performing their routines in front of an enthusiastic home crowd will provide them with the know-how to handle more daunting competitions and events in foreign environments going forward.
The South African team will comprise Karma Visagie, Buhle Nhleko, Zelme Daries (younger sister of last year’s national champion Naveen Daries), Nkazimlo Matyolo and Nicky Smook, and will be accompanied by coach Candice Visser. The host nation will use this competition as preparation for the Commonwealth Games in 2026.
The Welsh team will contain Jemima Taylor, Ellie Lewis, Lexi Holmes and Ffion Burgum, whose routines will be overseen by coaches Megan Jenkins and Tracey Skirton Davies. Although this team is a team of juniors, Jemima Taylor is widely regarded as a future world champion and is the star of the team.
The team competition as well as the individual all-around competition will run concurrently on the morning of Thursday 25 May, while the apparatus finals will take place over the next two days. The vault and uneven bars final will be contested on Friday 26 May and the beam and floor finals will take place on Saturday 27 May.
According to South Africa’s African Championships head coach, Ilse Roets Pelser, “We have a long-standing relationship with Welsh Gymnastics. Last year, our Olympic gymnasts trained in Wales in preparation for the World Championships in Liverpool, and the Welsh team have competed many times in South Africa before as well.”
“We’re looking forward to a good competition,” continued Roets Pelser.
Gymnastics South Africa hope to stage similar style team competitions in future in order to equip the country’s future gymnastics talent with the experience necessary to take their skills to the next level.
