Durban - Netball star Bongiwe Msomi and Commonwealth triathlon champion and Henri Schoeman were awarded top honours at the sixth 2018 KwaZulu-Natal Sport Awards held at the Durban ICC on Tuesday
They were among 80 nominees who were shortlisted across 24 categories for the province’s top sporting achievers which recognized and rewarded the exceptional performances and accomplishments of athletes, administrators, coaches, teams and sports media personnel between 1 August 2017 to 31 July 2018.
Msomi, 30, was named Sportswoman of the year and Schoeman was declared Sportsman of the Year.The Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability award went to Melisa Ann O’Neil while Aaron Alois Putz was chosen Sportsman of the Year with a Disability.
Msomi
Msomi, 30, who hails from Hammarsdale is a South African netball star. The ace wing attack and centre is the fifth of eight children. She started playing netball in school at the age of 16.
Msomi has remained the captain of the SPAR Proteas national netball team for the 2017 and 2018 Quad Series in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa. She led her team to their first ever Quad Series Victory against the England Roses at Invercargill, New Zealand in 2017, beating them 54-51.
This industrious player was awarded “Best Team Player” in a vote by players and coaching staff for Adelaide Thunderbirds in 2018. She also represented the Spar Proteas team in the Test Series in Fiji in 2017.
Schoeman
At just 26, Schoeman is arguably one of the strongest and most consistent swimmers in the international professional triathlon circuit. A product of the KZN Department of Sport and Recreation’s Elite Athlete Development Programme, he started 2018 with a bang when he won the World Triathlon Abu Dhabi Race in thrilling fashion by becoming only the second athlete to lead in of the three legs of swimming, cycling and running.
He ran to a phenomenal victory in the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in the Gold Coast, Australia where he claimed the first of South Africa’s 13 gold medals.
Schoeman stands 7th currently on the World Triathlon Series Ranking and continues to make both KZN and the country proud as he competes on the international Elite Men’s Circuit. He was also placed second in the 2018 ITU Triathlon World Cup in Cape Town and 9th in the Current ITU World Ranking.
Melisa Ann O’Neil
O’ Neil represented South Africa at the 2017 International Federation for Intellectual Impairment Sport (INAS) World Swimming Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico where she won six medals - two gold, three silver and one bronze - and broke two South African and African records for the 50m and 100m Breaststroke Long Course.
At the 2018 9th DSISO World Swimming Championships in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada for swimmers with Down syndrome, she won eight medals - three gold, four silver and one bronze. She equaled the world record in the 400m Individual Medley and set five new African records. O’ Neil is ranked the top South African female swimmer with Down syndrome.
Aaron Alois Putz
Putz represented South Africa at the 2017 INAS World Swimming Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico where he won gold in the 200m backstroke, winning a total of five individual and two relay medals. At the 2018 Midmar Mile, he won gold in the male disability category.
Putz participated in the 2018 SA Sports Association for the Intellectually Impaired national swimming championships in Pretoria where he won 12 gold medals and emerged as the top male swimmer of the championship. He is ranked as the number one SA male swimmer with a disability in the Intellectually Impaired (S14) class.
The MEC for Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation in KZN, Bongi Sithole-Moloi, said the popularity of professional and mass sport is growing, especially among young people. Moloi said increasing numbers of individuals are choosing healthier lifestyles, seeking to regain harmony between body and spirit. Preserving the health of the nation is of paramount importance to the state and our indisputable priority.
“We have a rich sporting culture in KZN and the passion and commitment of those who have contributed to our great sporting past give our young aspiring athletes inspiration for the future. As a department, we are focused on enhancing our development programmes to fast-track the athlete development pathway that will lead to more podium finishes, especially for talented athletes from less-developed areas of our province.” Moloi said.
In recognition of some notable achievements of athletes and administrators, seven special recognition awards were bestowed by the MEC upon individuals who excelled in 2017/18.
Veteran runner Blanche Moila received the Lifetime Achievement Award; late football star and coach Bheka Phakathi the Posthumous Award; international canoeing star Hank McGregor the Honours Award and triathlete Mhlengi Gwala bagged the award for achievement against all odds
Other awards include:
Photographer of the Year -
Anesh Debiky
Sport Journalist of the Year -
Mzwamandla Zondi
Indigenous Games Team of the Year-
Team KZN Umlabalaba
Developing School Team of the Year-
Ndabenhle Primary
School Team of the Year -
Zandlazethu High School
Recreation Body of the Year -
Peace Players
Federation of the Year -
Cricket Federation
Volunteer of the Year -
Jackie De Fin (Sailing)
Administrator of the Year
-Nisha Rupnarain (Netball)
Technical Official of the Year -
Peter La Marque (Aquatics)
Coach of the Year -
Fadluraghman David (Football)
Lifetime Achievement Award -
Blanche Molia
Junior Sportswoman of the year
- Amber Schlebusoh (Triathlon)
Junior Sportsman of the Year -
Ben De la Porte (Triathlon)
Newcomer of the Year
-Sibusiso Romeo Nkosi (Rugby)
Team of the Year-
Maritzburg United (Football)