Two gymnast superstars have taken SA all the way after booking their spots at the Paris World Cup finals and competing against the best of the best!
Paris, France (18 September, 2023) – It’s been a strong year for South Africa’s Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team who just reminded us again why they are the champions of the continent after making big moves at the Fig World Challenge Cup in Paris—the Paris World Cup!
Caleigh Anders and Caitlin Rooskrantz both qualified for and competed in the Paris World Cup Finals for vault and bar—a reflection of the kind of talent that earned them spots at the World Championships in Belgium, set to take place later this month.
The Paris World Cup (also dubbed the World Champs warm-up) saw the best of the best in artistic gymnastics compete over the past weekend, including Olympic medallists and world champions.
“It was such an incredible honour to be competing among such greatness,” shared Rooskrantz of her finals performance.
However, this is only fitting for the likes of Anders and Rooskrantz, who represented their team of four and their individual excellence at the finals.
Anders was named Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Junior Gymnast of the Year for 2022 by Gymnastics South Africa, and Rookrantz is an Olympian herself, who represented South Africa at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Finishing off the Challenge Cup at the finals, Rooskrantz came 4th for the Bars final while Anders came 7th, with both athletes celebrating improvements.
Coach Ilse Pelser shares:
“This past weekend saw another excellent performance by our SA WAG team, says Ilse Pelser, National Coach of the SA Women’s Artistic team. “Caleigh Anders placed 7th in the Vault finals competition and Caitlin Rooskrantz secured a 4th place in the Bar finals, just missing out on a Bronze.
“Both improved on their qualifying round scores, resulting in the excellent placements in the finals. The team gained valuable experience and is in good form for the upcoming World Championships in Belgium in October.”
Now the squad are set to prepare for the World Champs where Olympic qualifications are the name of the game.
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