Caitlin Rooskrantz advocating a culture of change in South Africa: "My goal was always just to inspire the next generation"
South African artistic gymnasts Caitlin Rooskrantz and Naveen Daries are on a mission to ignite dreams as they chase Paris 2024 Olympics qualification. The duo were the first gymnasts of colour to represent their country at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020.
Artistic Gymnastics
South African gymnasts Caitlin Rooskrantz and Naveen Daries have blazed a trail for aspiring youngsters, who for many years did not have role models who looked like them.
Their rise on the global stage becoming the first gymnasts of colour to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games was an immense point of pride for Rooskrantz.
“Representation matters especially in a sport like gymnastics which was predominantly known to be a white sport and in a country like South Africa,” Rooskrantz exclusively told Olympics.com.
“We (South Africa) are the rainbow nation and to have a team full of people of colour is very inspiring to the young girls to see that gymnastics isn't what you think it would be and that everyone can do it.”
South Africa gymnastics trailblazers
Rooskrantz is the first South African female gymnast to qualify outright for the Olympic Games and was joined in Tokyo 2020 by long-time training partner and best friend Daries, who qualified via the 2021 African Championships in Cairo. In Tokyo, Rooskrantz placed 61st and Daries 76th all-around in qualifications.
Rooskrantz and Daries have been the poster children of change over the last few years including maiden appearances at the Tokyo Olympics and successes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The duo spearheaded breakthrough performances for South African artistic gymnastics at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games where they placed fourth in the team event. Rooskrantz again made history with her bronze in the uneven bars the country’s first medal in the discipline. She is also only the second female South African gymnast after Jennifer Khwela to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Daries, in turn, finished sixth in the all-around competition which was the best finish for a South African gymnast in the individual all-around event.
At the recent African Gymnastics Championships held on home soil, South Africa won the women’s team gold medal to earn automatic qualification for the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, from 30 September to 8 October. Consisting only of members from the Johannesburg Gymnastics Centre, they claimed the country’s first team competition at the continental championships since 2006.
Although Rooskrantz conceded her overall title to Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour to finish second, she declared the competition mission accomplished with the team gold ranking as the highlight.
“Our main goal going into this African championships was to qualify the team. So to get our team in first position, anything after that was kind of a bonus,” she said.
Not just a training ground but an escape
The lofty heights Rooskrantz and her contemporaries from the Johannesburg Gymnastics Centre have reached in recent years have been nothing short of spectacular. The modest gym is the home of more than 300 gymnasts and the de facto headquarters of South Africa’s artistic gymnastics programme.
On a typical training day, owner and national coach Ilse Pelser is a conductor who turns a cacophony into a beautiful symphony. A large banner, with JGC Olympic Training Centre emblazoned, greets one when entering the gym. Motivation slogans are painted on some of the walls but true inspiration for the younger gymnasts comes from sharing the space with two Olympians.
But the Johannesburg Gymnastics Centre is not a mere training ground, it provides an escape to youngsters who are confronted by unimaginable horrors. Pelser and the other trainers have adopted an athlete-driven approach where they need to consider each gymnast’s unique set of circumstances.
“Where they come from, and what they have to deal with every day…we have kids that have to deal with drugs, gangsterism and death around them on a weekly basis. You have to keep that in mind, you can’t just ignore it,” Pelser said.
A culture change
The athlete-driven approach is a departure from the previous status quo. Revelations of a culture of abuse by gymnastics coaches in the United States brought about introspection at the Johannesburg Gymnastics Centre. The club has moved away from the disciplinarian past instead adopting an athlete-driven as opposed to coach-driven approach.
“Overall there's been a great attitude change in everyone, and I think that also comes with the shift in the culture of what gymnastics has become and what it used to be,” Rooskrantz said.
“It became very public that there was a culture in gymnastics that was pretty unhealthy. There was just a general culture change. Everything just felt really light after all of that happened even like with our gym a lot of girls' attitudes changed. In the past, sometimes it was like the coach wanted it more, pushing the gymnast. That kind of changed, we've seen it a lot where the coaches seem more relaxed and laid back and the gymnasts want it more.”
Rooskrantz, Daries and the Johannesburg Gymnastics Centre’s successes in recent years have not translated into an influx of financial or other support. Pelser admits she has been ‘disillusioned’ by the lack of return on the investment the athletes have made.
On the flip side, their successes have made a tangible difference in inspiring other young gymnasts that hope to emulate Rooskrantz and Daries. Their influence, said Pelser, was not only down to their accomplishments on the global stage but due to the warmth and depth of their characters.
“They are genuinely nice and amazing people. They say you have a winning combination when your hardest-working athletes are also your most talented. Often your most talented athletes are your laziest and I’ve experienced that. But with them, they work hard and they have the talent. Then it is just a winning recipe.”
Dream chasers
Rooskrantz hopes to make more history in her bid to secure a quota spot for the Paris Olympics in 2024 at the World Championships later this month. The 21-year-old must be among the top-14 finishers to do that.
Even if Rooskrantz and Daries do not reach their second Olympic Games, they can bow out of the sport safe in the knowledge that they have left an indelible mark on the sport in the country.
For Rooskrantz reaching the pinnacle of gymnastics is secondary to serving as a role model to others and breaking new ground.
“My biggest personal goal was always just to inspire the next generation to show them that it is possible. You know, when we were growing up thinking we wanted to go to the Olympics, but we were not sure if it was even possible,” she said.
“We ended up making it there and showing them that it is possible. That your hard work is not always going to be in vain. You will reap the rewards if you keep sticking it out until your turn comes.”
Rooskrantz and Daries will be looking to gain some confidence heading into the World Championships at the upcoming World Challenge Cup series competition in Hungary from 8 to 10 September. They will have a final opportunity for some fine-tuning in Paris on 16 and 17 September.