By Sport South Africa Contributor
It was a weekend of milestones and full-circle moments for South African gymnastics at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Koper, Slovenia. Leading the charge, Caitlin Rooskrantz claimed a brilliant silver medal in the uneven bars final, while her teammate Naveen Daries secured a highly commendable 6th place finish in a stacked international field.
For Rooskrantz, stepping onto the podium in Koper held a deep, personal significance. Nine years ago, in 2017, a much younger Rooskrantz competed in her very first World Cup at this exact same event, and it was here that she made her first-ever bar final. Now, nearly a decade later, returning to the same arena to claim silver is a powerful testament to her longevity, resilience, and continued evolution.
Following up on a strong qualification score of 13.766, Rooskrantz delivered exactly when it mattered in Saturday’s final. More importantly, the podium finish proves she is peaking at exactly the right time. With the Commonwealth Games now just over 50 days away, the 24-year-old is looking sharper than ever.
As she has consistently stated over the last year, the Commonwealth Games have been the primary driving force behind her current campaign. Following her post-injury comeback, which she previously described to us as her “mental and physical checkpoint,” her eyes have been firmly fixed on this upcoming multi-sport showpiece.
“After I came back from Paris, the main reason I came back was I wanted to actually go for Commonwealth again to try and see if I could better my result,” Rooskrantz noted recently. “That has been the forefront of my goal since I came back… everything is directed at Commonwealth.”
While her immediate focus is locked on the Commonwealth Games, her stellar form in Slovenia also sets her up perfectly for the upcoming World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It will remarkably be her sixth World Championship appearance.
In a recent interview with SABC Sport she confirmed, “I’m definitely happy to be heading to my sixth World Champs, which is insane if I think I’ve been around for that long,” Rooskrantz reflected. “I’m quite excited to go into this World Champs with everything that we’ve managed to do over the last year and a half, and all the progress that I’ve personally managed to make, especially on bar, hoping to see if I can edge closer and closer into that top eight in the world.”
Rooskrantz wasn’t the only South African turning heads in Koper. Fellow Olympian Naveen Daries, reached a massive personal milestone of her own. Competing in Friday’s qualifications, Daries recorded a superb 13.133 on the uneven bars. Not only did this secure her spot in the final, where she ultimately finished 6th, but it also marked her very first score above the 13.000 mark on the apparatus at an international FIG competition.
Under the guidance of head coach Ilse Pelser at JGC Gymnastics, both Rooskrantz and Daries continue to prove that South Africa is a formidable, consistent presence in elite gymnastics. As the clock ticks down to the Commonwealth Games, South African fans have every reason to be excited about what this duo will produce next.
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