Plett gymnast sets sites on African Champs
Plettenberg Bay’s gymnastics ace Leolin Petersen is proving her mettle once again following a successful season last year culminating in her inclusion in the South African team at the Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Championship in the UK.
The 17-year-old Plett Primary School alumnus continued the momentum from last year’s success winning triple gold at the Trampoline Gymnastics SA Cup 2024 at the Fairview Sport Centre in Gqeberha over the past weekend. She put on a great performance securing first place in L9 Tumbling, L10 Euro trampoline and L11 double mini trampoline.
She also participated at the trials held at Mandy’s School of Tumbling and Trampoline for the selection of the junior and senior team to go to the African Championships in Tunisia later this year. Leolin is still awaiting the results, but is hoping to make her way to this prestigious event.
She dreams big and is determined to qualify for the Olympic mpic Games in future.
The young gymnast st showed her resolve last year with a string of success, the e most prestigious, a showing ng at the world championships in Birmingham irmingham in November last year as not only a junior competitor, but ut also as part of the senior South African team.
More than 1 000 gymnasts ymnasts – considered the world’s d’s best – from more than 50 countries ries around the globe participated ed in the event and Leolin n made her mark.
In the senior competition, where she competed against former world champions, the youngster from New Horizons managed to secure the 20th spot in double-mini trampoline while in the 17 to 21 age group up – where she competed with gymnasts much older er than her and with a lot more ore international experience ence – she managed to come me in at 48.
Last year, she also participated at the annual nnual Gymnastics South National Championships, nships, the Gym Games, in
Gauteng.
She gave a stellar ste performance that managed to secure sec her gold medals in Euro trampoline, trampoline tumbling and synchro in the category categ for 17 to 21-year-olds, as well we as gold in in doublemini mi trampoline in the senior division. d
This came after Leolin participated at the Eastern Province trampoline and tumbling trials in Gqeberha and managed to secure three gold medals in her age group - for tumbling, double mini and Euro trampoline.
She also won gold in not only double-mini trampoline, b but also Euro trampoline at the final leg of the Madiba Cup held in Mossel Bay.
Af After that she won three gold med medals for her performance in seni senior women's double-mini tram trampoline, junior women's tram trampoline, and junior women's pow power tumbling during the seco second leg of the series in Cape Tow Town.