Namibian gymnasts end 10-year drought at World Champs

Namibia’s recent participation at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, marked the country’s first return to the global showpiece in 10 years.The decade-long drought was ended by Namibia’s top senior artistic gymnasts, Anne-Leen Thorburn and Immanuel Kooper, who qualified to make their debut following outstanding performances throughout the year.Both hailing from Crete Gymnastics Club in Windhoek, Thorburn and Kooper competed in the women’s and men’s senior divisions, respectively.They were accompanied by their coaches Morihei Anderson and South African national Leeland Christian, under the auspices of the Namibian Gymnastics Federation (NGF) for the 53rd edition of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) event.Last participantsNamibia’s current top gymnasts follow in the footsteps of Katja Serrer and Annelise Koster from Crete, and Kabuba Masule of Excelsior Club, who last represented the country at the 46th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2015. That team was accompanied by coach Petra Thorburn.Thorburn and Kooper went up against more than 500 gymnasts from over 80 countries, including Olympians, according to FIG and TaiShan Sports.The senior men’s event was won by Japan’s Olympian Daiki Hashimoto, who became the youngest (19) men's Olympic all-around champion in 2021, while Russia’s team captain Angelina Melnikova, competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN), won the women’s title.Invaluable experienceAlthough they did not make podium finishes, the showpiece provided a crucial platform to gain invaluable experience among the world’s artistic gymnastics standouts.Thorburn, who intentionally undertook the feat to improve her personal best (PB), achieved her goal with an all-around score of 42.066, surpassing her 40.832 from South Africa’s provincials in March.“I am so happy with this result and improvement. I competed in vault, beam, floor and my favourite bar apparatus, which helped propel my PB. I hit an 11 on bars and it was insane to me!” she said.She welcomed her debut at the prestigious event, describing the feeling as being “on par with the rest of the world.”“I walked into the arena feeling it’s where I belonged and there’s no place I’d rather be. I have worked my whole life to make it to that stage,” she added.A dream come trueBeing able to benchmark her skills against the world’s top Olympians was a dream come true, noting the kindness and sportsmanship from her heroes and their coaches as a calming influence that allowed her to give her best.“I was especially excited to meet several-time Olympian Melnikova, whom I trained and competed alongside. I also had the privilege of meeting Filipino-American Olympian Aleah Finnegan. I traded shirts with her and came home with a Philippines t-shirt!” said Thorburn.She also mentioned meeting Ellie Black, the most decorated gymnast in Canadian history, as another exciting highlight.Regarding support, she said the backing from her mother, coaches, teammate, friends, the NGF, Crete and JGC Gymnastics Club made all the difference.Thorburn now aims for higher scores at her next major competition, the African Championships.Hampered by injuryHer teammate Kooper sustained an injury at the event, which hampered his performance, but he still came away with valuable experience from the world stage.“This was not the performance I hoped for, getting injured in practice. I still competed and gave my all under the circumstances,” he said.Nonetheless, he reflected on the experience with pride and gratitude.“It was a moment of pride, not just for me, but for everyone who’s been part of gymnastics in the country and has worked hard to see the sport grow,” he added.He described sharing the arena with Olympians Hashimoto, Joe Fraser, Carlos Yulo (Philippines’ first male Olympic gold medallist), Courtney Tulloch, Robert Kirmes and many others he looks up to as a surreal experience.“The most memorable moment for me was walking into the arena wearing our national colours. Representing an entire nation on one of gymnastics’ biggest stages is unforgettable and a feeling that will stay with me for the rest of my career,” he said.Kooper is also looking forward to next year’s African Championships. He extended gratitude to his coaches for their guidance and patience, his family for their support, the Namibia National Olympic Committee, the NGF and his teammate for their encouragement throughout the journey.– mariud@nsh.com.na

Namibian gymnasts end 10-year drought at World Champs

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-05

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Namibian gymnasts end 10-year drought at World Champs

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-05

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