Gian-Quen Isaacs is skating to end South Africa's 25-Year Winter Olympic drought
She tells Eyewitness News one of her major takeaways from competing at an international level is that mental readiness is just as critical as physical preparation.
'I saw how athletes from bigger federations prepare meticulously from warm-ups to mental visualisation. I learned to stay focused on my own lane, not get overwhelmed by the prestige of the event, and to trust the training I've done. Another lesson was how important it is to adapt quickly to different rinks, time zones, and environments—being flexible is a skill in itself.'
The 2019 national junior champion has represented South Africa in the 2018 and 2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuits and won the Santa Claus Cup in Basic Novice in Budapest in 2017.
'I stumbled into figure skating almost by accident. I went to watch an ice hockey match with my mom and wanted to play ice hockey. Unfortunately, I've never skated, so I was advised to join a learn to skate club. I remember my mom purchasing my first pair of skates and telling me to at least commit to skating for 1 year. Two weeks in the head coach of the club told my mom I have the potential to be a competitive athlete in figure skating, and the rest is history. He linked us with my coach, who has been my coach since the beginning. South Africa doesn't have a big skating culture, so it started small, but I fell in love with the sport and never looked back.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
30-04-2025
- Eyewitness News
SA's top bowls player Jason Evans brings home a bronze medal from the World Bowls Indoor Championship
JOHANNESBURG – Jason Evans flew South Africa's flag high at the 2025 World Bowls Indoor Championship in Scotland. Evans won a bronze medal in the Men's Singles, with the gold medal and trophy going to Australia's Jack McShane. 'I'm very happy with my performance to be ranked 3rd in the world at the World Indoor Championships is very credible. Puts SA on the map with regards to Bowling ability,' said Evans to Eyewitness News. All five corners of the globe were represented in the six-day event, which pits the European and Oceania powerhouses against those from the Americas, Asia and African regions. The Championships saw 32 nations, 32 males and 27 women compete against each other. 'SA bowls is well respected globally, and we are a threat to any nation. Our recent form at major events backs that up.' The sport is played indoors and outdoors on grass or artificial surfaces known as a 'green', which is divided into parallel playing strips known as 'rinks'. The aim is to roll bowls (slightly radially asymmetrical balls) closest to a smaller white/yellow ball (the 'jack' or 'kitty'). The current Proteas No. 1 tells Eyewitness News South Africa only has outdoor facilities, so predominantly he plays on the lawn: 'However, indoor does provide an amazing surface to play on.' Evans was born in Wales, moved to South Africa with his family at age 11. He started playing bowls when he was 15, following in his father's footsteps. 'My Father was a bowler, so I got interested through him. I have played for SA for 15 years and have over 300 caps, so I have been around for a long time, and have travelled the World. I think media and televised events would help sponsorship and raise the profile of bowls. Social media platforms, using the youth in our sport to promote the game.' The Team Aero athlete has won the Atlantic Championship in Wales, three bronze medals in the World Indoor Championships and has won the SA Masters Champions 6 times, played in three Commonwealth Games. He has 7 African States gold medals, just to name a few of his achievements. ' When I practice, I practice with a purpose, fine-tweaking here and there. If the game is looking good, I don't practice for hours. I prefer to get my mind in a good place. If the mind is good, I have the belief in my game.'
Eyewitness News
29-04-2025
- Eyewitness News
Joburg teen to swim Robben Island Escape to raise funds for charity
Palesa Manaleng 29 April 2025 | 13:31 Robben Island Luca Amerseder Michael Mount Waldorf Sixteen-year-old Luca Amerseder is preparing to cross the icy Atlantic Ocean from Robben Island to Cape Town, all in the name of charity and personal growth. Picture: Supplied. JOHANNESBURG - Sixteen-year-old Luca Amerseder is preparing to cross the icy Atlantic Ocean from Robben Island to Cape Town, all in the name of charity and personal growth. As part of his Grade 11 school project at Michael Mount Waldorf, Amerseder will be swimming to raise R20,000 for Genesis Ministries of South Africa. ' In my school, Michael Mount Waldorf, we have to pick a grade 11 project that needs us to write and research a historical and theoretical aspect on a topic, and embark on a practical part too. The choice needs to be something out of our comfort zone. I am not a swimmer at all, never liked it or practised it until a few months ago. So swimming was my choice, but open-water swimming in particular,' said Amerseder to Eyewitness News . The Fourways, Johannesburg resident will be swimming the Robben Island Escape in Cape Town in May 2025, an approximately 8km cold Atlantic open water crossing with the hope of raising R20,000 for a Port Shepstone-based charity, Genesis Ministries of South Africa. ' I wanted to do something more unique, something that stretched me and was a real accomplishment. That's when my sister suggested the Robben Island Escape. I then felt the need to make the project even more meaningful and decided to do it for a charity. It was an obvious choice for me to do it for an organization that I had witnessed firsthand last year on a school community camp to Port Shepstone.' Genesis Hope South Africa is a non-profit organisation that currently houses eight different ministries or initiatives, each one designed to target specific needs in our local community. 'I think Luca is nuts, you wouldn't find me swimming in cold, shark-infested waters, kidding. Luca is a young man who came with his school on a volunteer trip to work with our various programs.. To see the willingness of this young man to go the extra mile to raise funds and awareness for Genesis is humbling and a sense of encouragement for us in the future leaders of our country,' said Jono Downham from Genesis Hope South Africa. The organisation has three focus areas, which are care, sports and education and social justice, with the hope of bringing meaningful and lasting change to their surrounding communities. 'We are living in a time where for so many, hope is lost... Hope for a brighter future, hope for freedom from past challenges, hope for a sense of purpose and significance, Hope for opportunity. At Genesis Hope, we have the privilege to engage, to love, to walk alongside our fellow countrymen as they come from a place of darkness and disappear into a place of restoration and freedom,' said Downham. Amerseder, who is 16 years old, told Eyewitness News that when his class visited Genesis Ministries, they were exposed to the many areas in which these people make a difference. 'For instance, we spent time with the little orphaned children or spent the day in the local community alongside the medical team, helping and caring for the sick. I noticed the attention to detail and the relationships that were formed between the nurses and the ill people and it made a big impression on me. So when I had to think of a charity, I was immediately sure that Genesis was who I would want to support.' Genesis Ministries of South Africa, through its Community Hope and Care programme, provides medical and emotional support to members of the surrounding community who have suffered from strokes, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, TB, cancer, post-operative conditions and chronic illnesses. 'I have created a back-a-buddy fundraising campaign in which the public, anonymously or not, can donate any amount towards the cause' said Amerseder.
Eyewitness News
22-04-2025
- Eyewitness News
Gian-Quen Isaacs is skating to end South Africa's 25-Year Winter Olympic drought
She tells Eyewitness News one of her major takeaways from competing at an international level is that mental readiness is just as critical as physical preparation. 'I saw how athletes from bigger federations prepare meticulously from warm-ups to mental visualisation. I learned to stay focused on my own lane, not get overwhelmed by the prestige of the event, and to trust the training I've done. Another lesson was how important it is to adapt quickly to different rinks, time zones, and environments—being flexible is a skill in itself.' The 2019 national junior champion has represented South Africa in the 2018 and 2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuits and won the Santa Claus Cup in Basic Novice in Budapest in 2017. 'I stumbled into figure skating almost by accident. I went to watch an ice hockey match with my mom and wanted to play ice hockey. Unfortunately, I've never skated, so I was advised to join a learn to skate club. I remember my mom purchasing my first pair of skates and telling me to at least commit to skating for 1 year. Two weeks in the head coach of the club told my mom I have the potential to be a competitive athlete in figure skating, and the rest is history. He linked us with my coach, who has been my coach since the beginning. South Africa doesn't have a big skating culture, so it started small, but I fell in love with the sport and never looked back.'
