Daniel McLean reached the floor final, Naveen Daries secured a top-10 finish, and the Daries sisters shared an international All-Around final for the first time.
South Africa (04 August 2026) – South Africa’s gymnastics team is back home after an encouraging Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow, featuring impressive individual performances and a special moment for the Daries sisters. Naveen and Zelme Daries shared the international All-Around stage for the first time after a late change to South Africa’s line-up created an unforgettable sister act.
Caitlin Rooskrantz had initially qualified for the All-Around final alongside Naveen but was withdrawn from further competition following health challenges during the Games. Zelme stepped into the line-up, giving the sisters the opportunity to compete together in the final. Both gymnasts rose to the occasion.
Naveen improved from 12th place in qualification to finish 10th in the All-Around final. She also completed all eight of her routines cleanly, producing a consistent performance across the competition.
Zelme, competing at her first Commonwealth Games, climbed from 17th place in qualification to finish 13th in the final. The women’s artistic gymnastics team also secured fifth place out of 12 competing nations, while Caitlin and Naveen both earned places in the All-Around final. Naveen was also named second reserve for the beam final.
On the men’s side, Daniel McLean delivered a strong performance to qualify for the floor final after finishing fourth on the apparatus during qualification. He carried that momentum into the final, ending his Commonwealth Games campaign in fifth place.
“The 2026 Commonwealth Games presented significant challenges for our team, with illness and injuries before and during the competition impacting our ability to perform at full strength,” said Offering Tlaka, High Performance Manager. “Despite these setbacks, there were many encouraging performances that demonstrate the continued progress of our high-performance programme.”
From McLean’s place in the floor final to Naveen’s top-10 finish and the Daries sisters sharing an international final, South Africa’s gymnasts returned from Glasgow with plenty of positive moments to celebrate.
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