Senekal, Basson named Madibaz sports stars of year

National representatives Ischke Senekal and Alaric Basson received recognition for their 2019 achievements when they were named the Nelson Mandela University sport stars of the year in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

The Madibaz Sport gala function took place at the Madibaz Indoor Sports Centre, where field athlete Senekal received the Sportswoman of the Year award for the second straight year.

Basson was named Sportsman of the Year after becoming the first swimmer from the varsity to represent SA at the World Championships in Korea in July.

The Sport Team of the Year accolade went to the karate club, who were crowned national champions when the University Sport South Africa tournament was held in Makhanda in the midyear holiday.

Senekal, 26, who is doing her Masters in education, was a shining light in SA athletics in 2019.

For the third consecutive year, she won gold medals for both the shot put and discus events at the ASA Senior Track and Field Championships in Germiston in April, throwing distances of 16.8m and 55.72m.

In the All-Africa Games in Morocco, she won silver in the shot put and bronze in the discus.

In the University Sport South Africa Track and Field Championships in Stellenbosch, she claimed a shot put gold medal and silver in the discus.

Basson, who is doing his B. Tech in construction management, was chosen for the World Championships after a string of eye-catching performances in 2019.

His performances for the national squad included three gold medals [100m and 200m breaststroke, and 100m medley relay] and a silver [200m freestyle relay] at the All African Games in Morocco in August.

Besides being the Eastern Cape’s best breaststroker, Basson was crowned national 200m champion at the SA Championships in Durban in April, where he also won two silver medals and a bronze.