Gymnasts eye African glory in Cameroon
Namibia’s top junior and senior gymnasts departed yesterday to represent the country at the 19th African Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Yaoundé, Cameroon, running from today until Monday.
The event is held under the auspices of World Gymnastics, formerly known as the International Gymnastics Federation until December 2025.
It will see Namibian gymnasts test their flexibility, strength and execution against competitors from hosts Cameroon, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Chad and Mauritius.
The Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) contingent comprises junior gymnasts Mila Barnard and Janè Strauss, alongside seniors Jonie Thorburn, Ngaitjitue Handura, Anne-Leen Thorburn, Surenshi Andrew and Tyesha Humphries.
They will compete across the four apparatus: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. The WAG team is accompanied by coach Petra Thorburn and Brevet judge Nadine Jaeger.
In the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) category, Immanuel Kooper (senior) and Zine Endine Meziane (junior) will compete on floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar.
Kooper and Meziane are accompanied by Morihei Anderson and Djamel Meziane, who will serve dual roles as coaches and Brevet judges.
Athlete-turned coaches and judges
A statement issued on Monday by the Namibian Gymnastics Federation (NGF) noted that several of the accompanying coaches and judges have previously represented the country at African championships.
“Petra Thorburn competed at the 1991 African championships and later co-founded Windhoek’s Crete Gymnastics Club with her mother, Annelise Wiese, in 2014. One of the club’s first coaches, Anderson (since 2014), participated in the 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014 African championships,” the statement read.
Another coach at Crete, Jaeger, who joined the coaching staff in 2016, represented Namibia at the African championships in 2010 and 2014.
Jaeger was selected last week to officiate artistic gymnastics at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Senegal this October and November. This marks Namibia’s first gymnastics judging representation at the Games, as confirmed by the Namibia National Olympic Committee.
Her recent international duty includes officiating at the Region Five Youth Games in Windhoek last December.
‘Proud moment’
The NGF described the international progress of its athlete-turned coaches and judges as a “proud moment to see them carry this legacy forward”.
The federation also made special mention of Meziane for his long-standing contribution to the sport since 1996.
“The NGF is proud of its dedicated team of professionals, who have gone the extra mile to achieve national accreditation and represent the country with distinction. Strong leadership and guidance are essential in developing athletes,” the federation said.
“Coaches and judges play a crucial role in inspiring gymnasts, especially in moments when they doubt themselves, as they help push them towards excellence. The gymnasts have put in months of dedicated preparation and hard work.”
The NGF added that selection for the national team is already a significant achievement and expressed confidence in the athletes.
“[We] look forward to supporting the gymnasts throughout the competition and wish them every success as they represent the nation on the continental stage,” it said.
