Gymnastics talent sprouting in Thaba Nchu
Preparing for contest … Lebogang Mosholi is putting Thaba Nchu on the world gymnastics map.
A young gymnastics star is on the rise in what seems like an unlikely corner of the country.
Lebogang Mosholi (19) from Thaba Nchu is breaking barriers and proving his worth in one of the most visually dazzling
sporting codes.
Mosholi, a member of the Thaba Nchu Gymnastics Club, has gained global acclaim in rope skipping. He is the current South African junior record holder and was voted South Africa’s Rope Skipping Athlete of the Year in 2011.
The teenager has already represented the country on various international platforms, including three International Rope Skipping Federation World Championships and Youth Tournaments, where he won a bronze and two gold medals respectively three years in a row.
Mosholi said he draws inspiration from the memory of his late coach, Kagiso Kgomo, who introduced him to the exciting sport.
“I started rope skipping once I started noticing that I have the ability to do various jumps. My former coach Kagiso is the one that nurtured my skills and it is because of him that I got into rope skipping.
Mosholi will be participating in his fourth consecutive world championship event in Florida, US this year where he will be looking to add to his current medal tally.
Thaba Nchu Gymnastics Club coach Shirley Tsatsinyane has high hopes for Mosholi and is impressed at how the young athlete has embraced the sport.
“Lebogang is a good and very determined rope skipping athlete.”
As a former gymnast herself, Tsatsinyane has played a major role in further cultivating Mosholi’s talents and as a result created a world-class athlete.
Mosholi is appreciative of the doors that Tsatsinyane has opened for him.
“I like working with my coach because she has provided me with a number opportunities as an athlete.”
Mosholi will be heading off to the US for the world championships in July as part of the South African gymnastics team.
According to the International Rope Skipping Federation, skipping or jump rope has been practiced by people for centuries but only evolved into an organised sport in the late 1970s when Richard Cendali of Boulder, Colorado first developed rope skipping as a fun, physical activity and then into a competitive sport.
Jump rope as an organised competitive sport sees athletes compete in individual and team events using single ropes or double Dutch. In freestyle routines, jumpers have a set time limit to demonstrate a combination of skills in four categories – footwork, strength, multiple unders, and rope manipulations. In many competitions these are choreographed to music.
During the speed events, athletes try to complete as many jumps as possible within a particular amount of time.
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