Sihle Mlambo and Nosipho Mngoma
A Grade 11 Our Lady of Fatima School canoeist is beaming after being named KwaZulu-Natal Junior Sportswoman of the Year and Daily News School Sports Hero – in the same month.
Kyeta Purchase, 16, was voted the best among her peers across all disciplines yesterday for her impressive exploits on the world and local stages for canoeing.
“I just want to make World Marathon Champs in Germany next year. My coach is working with me to get into sprints and we’ll see how we go from there,” she said.
Kyeta is also preparing for the Duzi Marathon and looking forward to the Durban 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“I’d like to be there, it’s another of my goals, it’s exciting, but it all depends on what happens until then,” she said.
Kyeta dedicated her award to her parents “who had to put up with her moaning and groaning”, and her coach, Lee McGregor, father of world canoeing champion, Hank McGregor.
“It’s nice to have him there because he’s been world champion a number of times. He knows how I feel when I’m training and he knows all the techniques, so it’s great to have him around,” she said.
Daily News editor, Alan Dunn, said the School Sports Hero contest had “again produced a most talented crop of young people, reflecting the quality of sport at school level in our province.
“Congratulations to Kyeta Purchase for her triumph, we look forward to following them all in their sports future.”
Making the selections, since the contest started 12 years ago, was sports reporter, Tommy Ballantyne, who said he was “doubly pleased” as two of his top four finalists had recently been winners at the KwaZulu-Natal Sport Awards.
“I selected Damon Kesaris and Kyeta Purchase for the Daily News School Sports Hero before the KZN Awards nominees were announced, so it just shows that my selections were spot on.”
Previous winners spotted by Ballantyne included world swimming champs, Chad le Clos and Chad Ho, and Dolphins cricketer, Andile Phehlukwayo.