The South African senior Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) team delivered an outstanding performance at the 20th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Koper, Slovenia that took place from 27 to 31 May.

All four South African gymnasts hitted clean routines across qualifications and Caitlin Rooskrantz claiming a silver medal on uneven bars competing against 20 other countries in the women’s section. 

Qualifications: Four from Four 

 In what coach Ilse Pelser described as “four clean routines out of four,” the South African contingent put in a strong showing across the qualification round, with all four gymnasts executing well under competition conditions. 

On beam, Caitlin Rooskrantz finished 14th with a score of 12.333, while Naveen Daries posted 12.166 for 17th place — both performances solid and respectable amongst a strong field of competitors. 

On vault and floor, Jessica Rautenbach turned in a confident performance, finishing 15th with 12.283 (vault) and 24th with 11.833 (floor), with Karma Visagie rounding out the team in 19th with 11.733 (vault) and 30th with 11.166 (floor). 

Rooskrantz Takes Silver

The standout result of the competition came in the uneven bars final, where Rooskrantz delivered a polished routine to claim silver with a score of 13.066. She finished just behind winner Zsofia Kovacs of Hungary (13.600), ahead of Sanna Veerman of the Netherlands (12.700).  

But the medal means more than the scoreboard shows. This is the same competition where Rooskrantz made her very first World Challenge Cup bar final, back in 2017. She returned to Slovenia in 2024, but the podium eluded her. Nine years on from that debut, third time proved the charm. 

With the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow now just weeks away, the silver medal couldn’t have come at a better time. 

Naveen Daries also competed in the bars final, finishing 6th with 11.566, a result that will only add to her confidence heading into the final stretch of preparation. 

Looking Ahead 

The result is an encouraging sign for the South African programme ahead of a busy international season. With both Rooskrantz and Daries demonstrating their bar work at the highest level, and Rautenbach and Visagie gaining valuable senior international experience, the team returns home with performances to build on.