Africa-Press – Namibia. TWO Namibian gymnasts gave promising performances at an international gymnastics competition in Serbia last weekend.
James Milne Cindano and Immanuel Kooper of Crete Gymnastics Club competed against gymnasts from several nations at the 13th Memorial ‘Laza Kristic and Maria Dzelatovic’ competition in Novi Sad, Serbia, where they more than held their own, reaching two finals, while Cindano narrowly missed out on a medal.
A total of 17 gymnasts from countries like Serbia, Denmark, Slovenia, Bulgaria and South Africa participated at the tournament where the two Namibians each reached a final.
Kooper reached the final of the vault apparatus after finishing eighth in the first round with a total of 11 275 points.
In the final he improved by two places, finishing sixth overall, although with a lower total of 10 755.
Cindano did even better, finishing third in the high bar apparatus in the first round with a total of 11 200 points, to qualify for the top-eight final. Here he was unfortunate to narrowly miss out on a medal after finishing fourth with 10 600 points, just 60 points behind the bronze medallist.
Both gymnasts came close to making the finals in several other events as Cindano was named amongst the reserves for the final in three events and Kooper in one.
Cindano was a reserve in the pommel horse with a score of 7 800; the rings with a score of 10 100; and the parallel bars with a score of 10 300, while Kooper was a finalist reserve in the high bar with a score of 9 830.
What made their performances even more noteworthy is the fact that they both competed in all six apparatus events, according to their manager Nadine Jaeger who accompanied them.
“Our two boys competed all-around, meaning they did all six apparatuses, while most of the other competitors specialised in two or three apparatuses. Being an all-around gymnast is very difficult, and our boys were two of 10 that competed all around. With that said, for our boys to have made the finals in one event each is a really prestigious accomplishment,” she said.
Jaeger said the competition was a great learning experience for the Namibians who competed against national team gymnasts from countries like Bulgaria and Slovenia, and club team members from the other countries.
“Our boys are really proud of themselves and very grateful to have had this opportunity – they’ve learnt a lot and know on what to improve. They’ve made many connections for possible future training camps as well as friendly competitions,” she said.
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