In 2008 when just three years old, Lisa Conradie, sat mesmerised watching gymnasts perform amazing feats during the Beijing Olympic Games. It was to change her life forever.

“I cannot explain it. I realised that gymnastics is what I wanted to do. I told my mom so. The next year I started training at Tuks when I was just four years old.”

Fast forward to now it would seem there is a good chance that Conradie won’t be sitting on a couch in 2020 watching the world’s best gymnasts going through their various routines at the Tokyo Olympic Games. She could be competing. 

The past weekend she competed in a competition in Ukraine where she qualified for the final of the floor routine as well as the uneven bars. Last year she won a gold medal in her age category when competing in Serbia. She is also the current South African champion in her age group.

Her immediate goal is to try to qualify to represent South Africa at the Olympic Youth Games in Buenos Aires (6-18 October). To be able to do so Conradie needs to place in the top two at the African Junior Gymnastics Championships in Namibia.

Louis Fourie has been coaching gymnasts for years at Tuks and to use his own words he was privileged to have worked with some real talent, but he cannot help to get excited when he starts talking about Conradie.

“Lisa is something special. When she walks out to perform her routine, no matter which apparatus, I can’t help it, it is as if I watching something special each time.”

When asked to explain Fourie said it has to do with the precise and passionate way Conradie goes about executing her exercises.

It should be no surprise as Conradie is a great admirer of the way the USA gymnasts go about doing things. She is on a constant quest to try and replicate what they are doing better. 

Conradie might only be 14 years old, but she already realise that gymnastics is a sport of perfection there is no margin for error.

That is why she is doing homeschooling as it gives her more time to train. Spending up to 32 hours in a week training has become the norm for her. According to her, it is a small price to pay if you got dreams of representing your country at the Olympic Games.