The 14-year-old rhythmic gymnast from Klerksdorp, Chadé Jansen, represented South Africa for the second time at the 18th Annual African Championships that took place from the 25th to the 26th of April in Rwanda. She brought home four bronze medals, flying the South African flag high.

“It was a very interesting and exciting experience because it was nice to see a different country and to see a different culture and eat different foods, I always enjoy travelling,” said Chadé on her experience travelling to the African Championships in Rwanda.

However, the talented Chadé is not new to the gymnastics scene and has been participating in competitions and earning medals since 2022.

Chadé performing her hoop routine at the 2024 African Championships. Picture supplied

She was 12 years old when she participated in her first-ever competition outside of South Africa, at the African Championships in Egypt, and returned with a bronze medal for Clubs. Later that year, she attended the South African Championships where she came first overall and received a gold medal for her Ball, Clubs, and Ribbon routines.

In 2023, she received a trophy for the most artistic performance at a competition in Bulgaria.

At the start of 2024, Chadé also attended a training camp in Azerbaijan for two weeks where she was then invited to attend the 2023 South African Annual Sports Awards, where she received a prize for being the Junior Gymnast of the year.

Her achievements don’t stop there – Chadé’s future goals include participating in World Challenge Cups and other world championships. Her biggest dream is to participate in the Olympics one day and become the first South African woman to win an Olympic medal for rhythmic gymnastics.

OFM News/Casey-Lee Anthony cg/mvh