AND THE WINNERS ARE…
Olympic triathlete Henri Schoeman, left, and Rio teammate Bridgitte Hartley scooped the top prizes at the KZN Sports Awards at the International Convention Centre in Durban last night. Schoeman, who won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics last month and earned his maiden World Triathlon Series victory in the season-ending grand final in Cozumel, Mexico, last weekend, was voted sportsman of the year. Canoeist Hartley, the 2012 Olympic silver medallist, took the sportswoman of the year award.
THE top sportsmen and women, administrators and others connected with sport in the province were acknowledged for their various exploits at a glittering awards presentation at the KZN Sports Awards dinner presented by the provincial Department of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation at the International Convention Centre in Durban last night.
Olympic athletes Henri Schoeman (triathlon) and Bridgitte Hartley (canoeing) scooped the major awards as the respective sportsman and sportswoman of the year, with the corresponding men’s and women’s junior awards going to Jean van der Westhuizen (canoeing) and Jasmine Martin (judo).
It must have been a close call for senior sportsman of the year, with Schoeman, whose triathlon career has spiralled in the past year, getting the verdict from double world canoe marathon champion Hank McGregor and netball star Sphele Mthembu.
Runners-up to Hartley for the sportswoman of the year award were Dinesha Devnerain (cricket) and Phindile Makhaye (synchronised swimming).
The top awards for athletes with disabilities went to Sihle Mntungwa (judo, male) and Alani Ferreira (swimming, female). The respective runners-up in this category were Hylton Heggie (swimming, male) and Melissa Ann van Bosch (swimming, female).
Canoeing continued to figure prominently, with the coach of the year award going to Craig Mustard. The runners-up were Tyrone Johns (mountain biking) and Joe Schoeman (triathlon).
The administrator of the year was Freedom Masondo representing full contact karate, with honourable mentions in this category for Robyn Horan (rowing), Nisha Rupnarain (netball) and Ruon van Zyl (disability sport).
KZN Aquatics, runner-up last year, was named federation of the year, closely followed by the KZN Cricket Union, with KZN Cycling and KZN Olympic Style Boxing also nominated.
The team of the year, always a difficult one to choose, went to the KZN Inland senior provincial cricket XI, who got the nod ahead of the KZN junior men’s volleyball team and the KZN men’s senior A1 league netball team.