| Yasmine Rostom is representing not only Egypt, but Africa in rhythmic gymnastics |
| By Rana Kamaly |
| As the music draws to a close, 19-year-old Yasmine Rostom throws the ball in her hands high into the air and does three walkover flips, sinking gracefully to her knees just as the ball lands neatly in her lap. Rostom smiles wide for the imaginary judges, rehearsing every moment of the biggest competition of her life. A rhythmic gymnast, Rostom is headed to London to represent not just Egypt, but all of Africa at the 2012 Olympics. She is a team of one, ranked 33 worldwide by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), the governing body for all gymnastic sports. Still, in a sport dominated by Eastern Europeans, Rostom knows her medal chances are slim. “This [ranking] is considered very good,” she says, explaining that Egyptians usually place outside the top 40. She continues with a laugh. “The Russians, Bulgarians and Ukrainians are always in the lead, I am just trying to keep up.” Part dance, part acrobatics, rhythmic gymnastics uses props such as ribbons, balls, ropes, hoops and clubs as part of a choreographed tumbling routine. The sport requires incredible flexibility, agility and motor coordination, with the women performing complex spins and somersaults before catching a prop flung high into the air — all while keeping time to music. Rostom makes it all seem effortless, moving lightly and gracefully across the floor. Watching her dance, you can sense her joy and feeling of liberation as she leaps through the air. Rostom trains in Alexandria’s Sporting club, and in June graduated from Girard French High School in Alexandria. No sooner had she finished exams than she was competing in a national gymnastics tournament. As a final preparation for her Olympic debut, she has one final intensive training camp abroad before going straight to London around July 10. Rostom has always had a passion for dance and started taking ballet classes when she was three years old. Then one day she and her mother were sitting in the ballet hall and saw the rhythmic gymnasts training. “My mom says that my eyes glittered when I saw this girl do flips and turns while throwing and catching the ball,” Rostom says, “and so she asked me if I wanted to try it and I said yes.” Rostom was just five years old when she started the sport; at the age of 11, she qualified for the national gymnastics team. Now her favorite rhythmic gymnastics routine is with the ball, even though she admits she is better at other types, such as rope, clubs, hoop, and ribbon. “I just enjoy it. I feel free, alive, super light and energetic,” Rostom says. “It’s where I lose myself to the music, to really be able to find my true inner self.” Rhythmic gymnastics is not just about technical skills; it’s also about the spirit, energy and personality that each athlete expresses through her dance. Rostom chooses her own music, with classical music and tango always her first choices. Her coach Sherine Karam then choreographs moves for the routine to fit the music. Rostom credits gymnastics federation head Amr Saed and federation artist manager Noha Shabana for their help and support. “In the last year alone, they managed to arrange for me to travel to Russia, Italy, France and Bulgaria to train in specialized camps and participate in international tournaments,” she says. “Yasmine is the best girl we have among all the rhythmic gymnastics players,” Saed says, “and she is the only African girl who qualified for the Olympics in rhythmic gymnastics. I have great faith in her.” That faith is backed by practice: Rostom trains six hours a day, six days a week. Her school has been very supportive and arranges make-up exams when she has to miss classes for a tournament. It’s not as easy when it comes to the national exams, though. “When it comes to thannawia amma or any other Egyptian examination, it’s a red line and I can never do anything about it. I wish the educational system in Egypt was more understanding and supportive,” she says with obvious disappointment. In London, Rostom will be up against 24 girls from around the world, with the top athletes scoring an average of 115 points. She, on the other hand, scored a total of 103 points in her last tournament. Her goal is not so much about trying to topple the Eastern Europeans, about whom she jokes that “they were born in the gymnastics hall.” Rostom is aiming for a new personal best: a score of 109 points or more. When Rostom travels to train with the best Russians or Bulgarians they compliment her style and technique, she says. “But I know it’s very hard to be better than them, unless I quit education and concentrate only on gymnastics. But I am not so far behind.” No great athlete can make it without the support of her family. Her parents are very familiar with balancing the school and training schedules: In addition to Rostom, her sisters Sarah, 16, and Nour, 10, are also rhythmic gymnasts, and Sarah is on the national team with Rostom. Her grandmother designs and hand-makes all of Rostom’s costumes for competition. They gymnast shyly explains that her grandmother always tells her, “I just want you to be special on the outside, like I know you are from the inside.” Rostom is looking forward to her first time at the Olympics, which she says is a great honor for her and her family. Ultimately, though, it’s all about the sport she loves. “I am never going to stop playing gymnastics as I adore it,” she says. “If I am still in good shape and have good flexibility when I am very old, I will never stop. Why would I ever stop?” |
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