Sports
Sports model and former gymnast Zoya Johnson recently flew from California, where she now lives, to The Rock to visit family and do some work in her capacity as the vice-president of International Relations for the Jamaica Amateur Gymnastics Association.
Johnson was born in Mocho, Clarendon and migrated to the US at five years old. She started gymnastics at the same gym as her hero US Olympian Dominique Dawes and was invited into an elite development programme by Dawes’ coach, the world-renowned Kelli Hill. Under Hill’s tutelage, Johnson became a nationally ranked athlete. However, chronic injuries would prevent her from pursuing her Olympic dreams but would afford her a fantastic education and a career as a sports model.
On, Saturday, November 30, Johnson spoke at the opening of the Jamaica Amateur Gymnastics Association National Training Centre on Slipe Road. “In this role, I will help to cultivate a culture and nurture a generation of youth who have a strong sense of community, self and purpose. The goal of our alignment is to establish and sustain Olympic teams that are consistently competitive on the world stage by 2032.”
The National Training Centre is located at the Jamaica School of Gymnastics and is fully furnished with top-notch equipment on which the students can practise. It houses a space for up to 150 students to train in various disciplines, including cheerleading, tumbling and dance. British-born gymnast Danusia Francis, who will represent Jamaica at the Toyko Olympics in 2020, was also at the opening.