Gymnasts gear up for African Champs

Namibia has fielded a team of seven gymnasts to compete at the African Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, which began yesterday and will run until Thursday at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.The senior and junior gymnasts will showcase their routines across the hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon apparatus.The senior team comprises Emilia Ekandjo, Kayla Duchaine and Joy Kabooy, while the junior team features April Hamutele, Jana Risser, Gabriella Mouton and Meggi Shiweda.They will face top competition from hosts South Africa, as well as Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco, Togo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.Namibia’s gymnasts will be accompanied by head of delegation and Brevet judge Britt Adonis-Byl, coach and Brevet judge Wietsa Snyman, and coach Eleonora Karamfilova.Accompanying officialsIn a statement issued earlier this week, the Namibian Gymnastics Federation (NGF) emphasised the importance of the accompanying officials.“No athlete reaches success without the guidance and dedication of their coaches and judges,” the NGF said.It added that Brevet judge and coach Snyman founded the Windhoek Rhythmic Club in 2012 with a vision to grow the sport locally.“She boasts nearly three decades of experience and has played a significant role in uplifting rhythmic gymnastics in Namibia,” the federation noted.Karamfilova, affectionately known as Ellie, brings extensive international experience to the team.“She is originally from Bulgaria, where she both competed and coached, before moving to South Africa, where she established her own club.“In 2019, she founded Elite Gymnastics Club and has since trained numerous international athletes, contributing to raising the standard of rhythmic gymnastics,” said the NGF.National treble holdersAdonis-Byl is an athlete-turned-coach and judge whose pedigree includes representing Namibia at the African Championships in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002.She also serves as the NGF rhythmic section coordinator and head coach of Infinity Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in Walvis Bay.She remains the country’s only athlete-turned-coach in the discipline to have achieved a national treble, winning the junior title in 1999 before securing consecutive senior titles in 2001 and 2002.Another national treble holder is Duchaine, the reigning three-time junior champion, having claimed the national junior titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025 before moving into the senior ranks.“Adonis-Byl has worked tirelessly to elevate rhythmic gymnastics in the country, supporting clubs and athletes nationwide.“The NGF expresses its sincere gratitude for the strong leadership within the sport and the continued commitment of athletes across the country. They have proven that with hard work and determination, dreams can become reality.”– mariud@nsh.com.na

Gymnasts gear up for African Champs

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Gymnasts gear up for African Champs

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