Young Onke aims high, wins gold

A HIGH-FLYING township gymnast, who trains every day in a dusty backyard on rickety equipment, has won gold at the South African championships.

Double trampoline sensation Onke Mangle's dream was, however, almost crushed when he was told he might not be able to compete in the prestigious competition in Cape Town at the weekend because he did not have the proper kit.

But a plan was made and Onke – who lives with his mother, Nancy, in Port Alfred's impoverished Nelson Mandela Township (Nemato) – was free to compete.

"Winning gold was the happiest day of my life," the shy 12-year-old schoolboy said yesterday.

Although he trains for hours every day after school in the backyard of the awardwinning Nemato Change-A-Life (NCAL) programme, Onke and 21 other gymnasts from the township upped their game in the build-up to the championships and practised on weekends as well.

Onke said standing atop the podium had inspired him to reach for brighter stars.

"I want to win gold at the world champs for South Africa one day," he said.

Dutch-born coach Jan Blom said besides winning gold in the under-14 division, the talented Onke also scooped overall junior honours as the victor ludorum.

"It was an amazing feat, considering our donated equipment is old and not suitable for competition training," Blom said.

Unlike many of the more privileged 2500 youngsters who competed, the NCAL rising stars train in the rutted backyard of their club– a tiny RDP house – and not in fancy indoor facilities.

Although the future looks bleak for many Nemato children, the NCAL programme is a beacon of hope for 100 youngsters involved in sporting codes like rowing, handball, gymnastics and fencing. - David Macgregor