April’s excited at his prospects for big title
UITENHAGE-born star athlete Lusapho April will hope to clinch his second Sportsman of the Year title at this year’s Eastern Cape Sport and Recreational Achievers Awards at the Boardwalk on February 25.
The nominees across various categories were named yesterday and winning the Sportsman of the Year award will automatically place April in the running for Sportstar of the Year award, a title he won in 2014.
The three-time Hannover Marathon winner is up against up-and-coming swimmer Alard Basson and former SA junior-lightweight champion Aphiwe Mboyiya.
Despite the tough competition April believes he stands a good chance.
“My achievements speak for themselves and if there is anyone competing against me who’s achieved more than what I have achieved, then tough luck for me,” he said.
“Winning both titles again would mean a lot to me. It would be more like a reward or repayment for what I have been doing for all these years.”
In its 20th edition, the theme for this year is “embracing excellence for the love of sport”.
The awards are used to recognise and honour individuals, sports codes and teams that have excelled both on and off the field between January 2016 to December 2016.
Eastern Cape sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC Pemmy Majodina said this year the awards will also be celebrating the stalwarts and legends of sport and activists who fought for non-racial sport.
“Most of those people have not as yet been rewarded for the work that they have done,” said Majodina.
“So the other category will be to look exactly at them to say we are in this non-racial sport today because of your contribution.
“We are also in partnership with Standard Bank and as well as the Boardwalk but we are calling for other private sector entities to come in because sport is a catalyst for nationbuilding, for unity of our country and as well as development.
“We want every local sphere to also take the issue of sport very seriously.
“If you want to deal with and attack drugs and the abuse of alcohol you can only do that to make it a point that young people are in the sportlight field and on good sporting facilities.”