South African Gymnast | History Maker | Proud African Woman
Caitlin Rooskrantz has made history by being the first female artistic gymnast set to make an appearance at the Olympic games in over a decade.(There were a few gymnasts that did previously qualify but qualified through the African Continental Qualification and SASCOC didn’t end up sending them; making Caitlin the first artistic gymnast ever to achieve an outright qualification at the World Championships.) She boasts an impressive array of accolades to her name; national titles, international rankings, a gold medal winner at the FIG Challenge Cup in Hungary, and most notably qualifying for the Olympics with a point haul of 49.466 at the 2019 Artistic Gymnastics World Championship in Stuttgart. Caitlin has been shortlisted in the Emerging Athlete of the Year Category at this year’s Gsport awards and is the official ambassador for South African gymnastics. All this and she is only 18 years old!
The Olympic Games in Tokyo this year seemed perfectly timed with Caitlin’s gap year after finishing matric and before pursuing varsity studies. But when the Tokyo Olympic Games were postponed, and her lifelong dream to perform her routine was put on hold; Caitlin’s remarkable attitude to following a new plan, and her belief that ‘a dream delayed is not a dream denied’, has shown that she is as inspiring as she is tenacious. “I told my coach, Ilse Pelser from JGC, that the dream hasn’t changed, only the timeline has shifted”.
“I don’t think I’ve given up on anything in my life. I’ve always tried to find another way through.” – Caitlin Rooskrantz
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CAITLIN speaks to Strongest Story on breaking barriers, raising the bar and flick-flacking over disappointments.
“My gymnastics story started with driving my parents mad at home. I was a very busy child. I could never sit still, I was up and down, trying to climb over walls, inside the door frames, always putting myself in dangerous situations. My aunty even called me spider woman. My parents didn’t really know how to control my energy and they were quite worried about me. I remember my mom told me the doctor wanted to diagnose me with ADHD and they wanted to put me on meds and stuff, and she decided, no, I just need something to channel my energy. A few of her friends recommended gymnastics and that’s where my love of the sport started - as a little six year old.
When I was 8, I very suddenly and tragically lost my dad. Our lives were turned inside out. I coped with the tragedy by throwing myself into gymnastics training. It has not been an easy journey, but I can now see how I used that as a slingshot to propel myself forward. I believe in turning setbacks into opportunities.
Gymnastics is something that never felt very hard for me. It felt like it came naturally and easy to me. I enjoyed the long hours and high levels of training from a young age. I won thé National title in level 6HP (high performance) when I was 11 years old. It was a good year for me. That was also the first year I travelled overseas. I had a training camp in Australia, and then my first international competition in Serbia. It was at that point I realised this is what I wanted to do. But the life of a gymnast requires hours and hours of practice, risking injury with every jump, twist and turn. I’ve had challenges and disappointments, many falls, multiple injuries and even surgery; but I am always determined to stand up and come back from a fall. It’s these trials that create a unique kind of mental toughness. Just what is needed in becoming an Olympic gymnast. Every achievement in my life can be tracked back to always staying flexible and nimble – not just on the gymnastics bars, but regarding my dreams and goals too.
I had planned to take a gap year after finishing matric, fully focus on the Olympics, train as much as I could, put everything in place to accommodate my training, and then start studying next year; but then the whole plan fell flat when I heard the Olympics were postponed. It was very hard and disappointing. It was a childhood dream.
Despite these challenges, I will come back again and again to show myself, and the world, what I’m made of. I now have been given another year, to train and to prepare. I am setting my sights on making my routine even better for the 2021 Games.”
A personal message from Strongest Story: There’s no doubt that I was captivated watching Caitlin’s petite frame powerfully somersault through the air on the 2nd August when she performed her Olympic routine for South Africa via livestreaming. By midday, the hashtags #TheOlympian and #CaitlinRooskrantz were trending on social media, but what intrigued me more was how her performance was fueled by a fighting spirit. Caitlin – your shimmering leotard has nothing on your bright smile, the light that shines from your heart and your ability to see the “silver lining” even though your dreams were interrupted. You are the hero of all young aspiring gymnasts.
You may have become an instant star after qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, but you have not let the overwhelming media attention and fame define you – which is very admirable! It warmed our ‘mother hearts’ to hear you honour your Mom for putting her life on hold to give you the opportunity to succeed and sing her praises: “She’s just my everything. I wouldn’t be where I am without her.”
We admire you for not letting stumbling blocks get the better of you, but for being an overcomer. Strongest Story is cheering you on as you somersault your way to the 2021 Olympics next year. You make all of us very proud as you represent SA and stand strong as our ‘green & golden’ girl!