WATCH: How 18-year-old Caitlin Rooskrantz inspired the nation with historic performance
In 2019, gold medal-winning gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz told the Scenic Drive that she is preparing for the Olympic Games 2020. After the postponement, Rooskrantz performed her routine anyway.
On 6 October 2019, Caitlin Rooskrantz from Johannesburg made history by becoming the first South African to win a gold medal at an international gymnastics competition.
Caitlin is the first female South African gymnast in over a decade to qualify for the Olympic Games.
In 2019, Caitlin joined the Scenic Drive to talk about her accomplishments and her journey to the Olympic Games. "I started at the age of 6. I was very busy and my parents decided to let me do gymnastics," she said.
READ: Caitlin Rooskrantz: South African star making history in gymnastics
On 24 March 2020, the Toyko Olympic Games were postponed and Caitlin's lifelong dream to perform her routine was put on hold.
On 2 August, she performed her Olympic routine for South Africa.
By midday, the hashtags #TheOlympian and #CaitlinRooskrantz were trending on social media, and for a brief while at least, there was some good news we could all unite behind.
Watch her routine below:
Watch Caitlin Rooskrantz perform her 2020 Olympic routine🥇🎉The plan for gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz was to go to Tokyo. Now she has a new plan. To celebrate a lifetime of dedication, we streamed her performance live on the exact date she would’ve executed it in Tokyo. In case you missed it, relive the moment here. Though it may not have been the Olympics, Sanlam invites all South Africans to get behind her and show their support using #TheOlympian. Like Caitlin, we believe in building resilience and finding a silver lining, even when our plans are disrupted. Now is the time to plan.
Posted by Sanlam on Sunday, August 2, 2020
Caitlin Rooskrantz joined the Scenic Drive with Rian to talk about the experience.
"When I heard the Olympics were postponed, it was very hard. It was also disappointing. It was a childhood dream."
"I now have been given another year, to train and to prepare. I can now also be better."
Tune in to the 'Scenic Drive with Rian', weekdays from 16:00-19:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.