Four Namibian gymnasts will make their Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow, Scotland, this month, after qualifying at the African Championships in Cameroon earlier this year.
National head coach Petra Thorburn says the global multi-sport event is slated for 23 July to 3 August.
“The team was selected based on their performance and rank during the African Championships in Cameroon earlier in the year. None of these gymnasts have participated at any Commonwealth Games yet.”
She says the training was customised to meet each athlete’s needs during the last week of training.
“We were aiming at the best performance while minimising the possibility of injury.”
Thorburn says the team’s officials represented Namibia on the international stage prior to this event, and are familiar with the pressure involved.
“As a team they support each other during training, ‘off’ times, and competitions.”
With the games set to use decentralised athlete accommodation across Glasgow rather than a single dedicated athletes’ village, Thorburn says: “This is done by the Glasgow Organising Committee, and the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) has done everything in its power to ensure the best care for our athletes while in Glasgow. The decentralised accommodation is of no concern.”
As for the training routines set to adapt the northern European weather and arena conditions expected in Scotland, she says the gymnasts have received funding to join training in Azerbaijan for a week before they fly to Glasgow.
“This helps to avoid the cold weather in Namibia.
“The arena is equipped to optimise temperatures best for participating, and this will not be a problem at all.”
She says the gymnasts will compete on the world stage against some major international athletes.
“Our aim is to perform clean routines foremost, and hopefully by doing that be in the running to reach the finals.
“We are honoured and blessed to have the support of our national federation and the NNOC for this event. In addition, the support from the public has been overwhelming,” she says.
Thorburn says the team is confident in this year’s preparation and intends to learn from any shortfalls for the future.
On the federation’s long-term strategy for leveraging the Glasgow Games to secure future funding and develop grassroots gymnastics programs back home, Thorburn says gymnastics is a sport which cannot be compared to any other in terms of the time it requires.
“Being in the sport has taught us to be patient, and we tirelessly involve the nation in our aims, achievements and needs.
“Our gymnasts will perform to the best of their ability to make our country proud. Our programmes have been developed over years of experience and we will adjust them if the need arises.”
The athletes taking part are Sureshni Andrew, Anne-Leen Thorburn, Jonie Thorburn, and Tyesha Humphries, with coach Petra Thorburn
