Namibia’s gymnasts returned from the South African National Championships in Cape Town with a six-medal haul, including three gold medals, as the country’s young athletes made their mark across rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and double mini trampoline.
The Gymnastics South Africa National Championships were held at the Bellville Velodrome, where Namibian gymnasts competed across various levels and age groups. In rhythmic gymnastics, Namibia collected four medals, with Walvis Bay Gymnastics Club’s (WBGC) Lienke Holmes delivering the country’s only gold in the discipline.
Holmes won gold in the Level Four ball apparatus, scoring 25.05. She narrowly missed an overall podium finish, placing fourth in her division.
Windhoek Rhythmic Club’s (WRC) Ivannah Shivute produced one of Namibia’s strongest overall performances, taking bronze in Level Four with a total score of 26.60.
Elite Rhythmic Gymnastics Club’s (ERGC) Zara Duchaine also secured bronze, scoring 16.45 in the High Performance U10 ball apparatus. Her combined score of 44.60 placed her fifth overall.
Oceanview Rhythmic Club’s (OVR) Elizabeth McClune claimed another bronze in Level Seven for her free dance routine. She finished fifth overall with 23.45.
Several other Namibian gymnasts narrowly missed the podium. ERGC’s Triti Nair finished fourth in Level Five with 25.30, while clubmate Kirah Kooper tied for fifth out of 55 gymnasts in Level Four with 26.70.
Namibia’s biggest individual success came in trampoline and tumbling, where Chalk Gymnastics Club’s Victoria Jansen returned with two gold medals. Competing in the Girls 13–14 Years Level 9 category, Jansen was Namibia’s sole trampoline and tumbling representative at the championships. She won gold in both Level 9 Trampoline and Level 9 Double Mini Trampoline.
Her performances added two more titles to Namibia’s medal tally and underlined the growing depth of gymnastics talent in the country.
The championships also provided valuable international competition experience for Namibian gymnasts from clubs including WBGC, Infinity Rhythmic Gymnastics, OVR, WRC, ERGC and Parkies Rhythmic Gymnastics Club.
The Namibia Gymnastics Federation thanked the coaches, clubs, parents, officials and supporters who contributed to the athletes’ participation and development.
The results also came as NGF representatives continued building international relationships, with Britt Andonis-Byl representing the federation at the ASPC Association of Sport Performance Centers Africa Continental Forum, where discussions focused on knowledge-sharing, development and strengthening the future of gymnastics.
For Namibia, the Cape Town championships offered more than medals — they provided a strong platform for the country’s young gymnasts to test themselves against international competition and return home with greater experience and confidence.
By Rudi Bowe
