Gezira Club returned from England after collecting 12 medals at the Canterbury Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship. Inas Mazhar reports Seventy-nine athletes representing 13 countries took part in the competition, some coming from the powerhouses in rhythmic gymnastics: Russia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Estonia, Serbia and Turkey. A new Egyptian star glittered. Heba Khaled El-Bourini, 12, silenced the crowd as she displayed her routines in front of a high spectator turn-out. The youngster enthralled the crowd and received rare reviews as she snatched four medals, including a gold. Critics described her as a promising future Olympic and world champion. El-Bourini, a student in English Modern School in Cairo, claimed the gold medal in the ball, the silver in the clubs, bronze in the rope and silver in the all-individual. Her Gezira teammates displayed brilliant performances as well. Three of them dominated the under-10 event, each claiming three medals. Sara Rostem claimed two gold in the all-individual and the hoop and a silver in the free event. Aisha Hani had one silver in the hoop and two bronze in the free event and the all-individual. Kariman Labib won a bronze in the hoop and was fourth in the all-individual. Farida Eid was the only Egyptian representative in the under-11 event and took home a bronze medal in the ball and a fourth in the all-individual event. And despite failing to win any medals in the under-15 event, Mai Alaa managed a few decent results all the same. Overall, Gezira, Egypt's top gymnastics club, proved it was on the right track in rhythmic gymnastics by allowing the girls the opportunity to gain more experience from taking part in international events. Club president Ahmed Said and board member Raouf Nour, responsible for gymnastics, are fully aware that the sport will not improve unless gymnasts are granted such chances. Nobody was happier with the performance and the results than the parents of the children who accompanied their daughters using their own money. They thanked both the presidents of the Egyptian Gymnastics Federation and the National Sports Council for giving the gymnasts the chance to take part in the competition. El-Bourini, a member of the junior Egyptian national team, is currently preparing for the African Championship scheduled for South Africa in November. Her intensive preparation is taking place under the supervision of Bulgarian coach Paulina Nikolova and the federation's technical counselor Magda Ismail. Next month, El-Bourini will take part in the Levski International Championship in Sofia and the Rhythmic Gymnastics Bulgaria Cup. She has entered both championships the last three years, and her results have progressively improved. In Bulgaria, El-Bourini will attend intensive training camps.
