Three medals earned at the African Championships in Yaoundé, Cameroon last month showed that even the darkest of clouds has a silver lining for South African gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz.
Rooskrantz, a flag-bearer for Team South Africa at the Paris Olympics in 2024, won three silvers in the team, all-around and uneven bars diåsciplines.
Starting her first job in marketing after graduating last year, Rooskrantz, 24, is living proof that combining sport and employment is no easy feat.
“ Thankfully I’ ve got a very understanding boss who realises that I’ m a professional athlete, which has been a great help as life ramped up midway through last year,” said Rooskrantz.“ So those three medals in Cameroon definitely meant a lot to me. At this point of my career, my biggest goals are the Commonwealth Games and World Championships later this year so these medals are a sign that I’ m on the right trajectory.”
She went into continental champs with a niggly calf injury, meaning she didn’ t have the most ideal preparation, so bringing home three silvers showed she’ s capable of grabbing whatever she puts her mind to.
Most SA athletes will attest that competing in Africa is a test in itself.“ Conditions were very difficult, as they often are at African Championships. This was the first time the champs were in Cameroon so there were lots of learning curves.
“ We were grateful to stay in a pretty decent hotel, but we always brace ourselves for conditions different to Europe and one has to make your mind as tough as possible, remember you’ re there to do a job and almost switch into a robotic state and shut things out.”
Shutting things out is something Rooskrantz has learnt to do from a very early age. She lost her dad when she was only eight and then last year her niece, who lived at the family home. And she’ s grateful for gymnastics to fall back on as an escape route.
“ The concept of loss and grief is a tough thing for every human, but I’ ve dealt with a lot of loss over the years … For me personally, having the gym has always been a bit of an outlet and allowed me to keep a routine and just keep me going through loss and grief.”
The last year has been a whirlwind for Rooskrantz.
“ As prep builds up for the Commonwealth Games there’ s obviously more travel and competitions and things have been tough,” she explained.
As such, she tries to stay in a routine as much as possible just to keep her head above water.
“ Generally, I get up between 6-7am daily and then training starts at 7.30am or 8.30 depending on the day. That goes on till 12.30-1pm or so and then I work until 5pm.
“ After that I try and get some recovery work in, either a massage or sauna and then it’ s dinner, shower and sleep – I’ m exhausted at the end of each day.”
Despite boasting“ veteran” status in SA gymnastics, Rooskrantz feels she can still blossom further.
“ I’ m going into my third Olympic cycle now and definitely think I have more to give, but I’ m honestly taking it one comp at a time, and one year at a time – breaking things down into bitesized pieces.”
After this year’ s Commonwealth Games and World Championships, she’ ll have a re-think.
“ I’ ll obviously have to take into account my headspace and where my body is and see if I’ m prepared to do another year to 18 months before the LA Olympics … but I’ m definitely open to it.”
Whatever she decides, there’ s no doubting that SA gymnastics is in a stronger state than when she arrived on the scene.“ I think that the fact that myself and Naveen [ Daries ] have stayed on a bit longer has opened the door and there’ s a much wider array and depth these days, which hopefully can carry on in the same trajectory.”
Looking ahead and apart from wanting to improve her ranking in both the bar and all-around disciplines, she’ s also thinking of life beyond the gym.
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“ I really want to carry on building my career in marketing, work on getting better and better and ideally, one day something that also involves sport.”
And of course leisure.“ I’ ve recently moved in with my best friend and my stepsister and I really value my friendships. We enjoy going out to restaurants, seeing new places and I also value being with my mom and family.
“ Right now I’ m at a place where I’ m building myself both inside and outside the gym and just trusting that everything falls into place.”
From a coaching point of view Ilse Pelser, a former national gymnast herself, says:“ Caitlin took a break after the 2024 Olympics to have shoulder surgery and also to recover from the ankle injury she suffered at the Games.
“ This year she’ s back to competing in all-around again. At nationals she was still nursing a calf injury so only did bar and beam but at African champs she competed on all four apparatus again.
“ She had a really consistent championships, something which has come with age and experience.
“ It helps to be experienced, having those numbers in the bank already, and where one can focus on the finer details and execution etc.
“ And obviously she wants to improve her bronze medal at the last Commonwealth Games to something better …" www. modernathlete. co. za 13