And now . . . here are SA’s top sports stars
No surprise Boks don’t feature, 2O15 was bad for 15-man game
ATHLETES dominated South African sport this year, and that fact is represented in our list of top sports stars for 2015.
Our sports staff voted and Wayde van Niekerk, Caroline Wostmann and Anaso Jobodwana featured in the top five alongside cricket hero AB de Villiers and swimming sensation Chad le Clos.
The top 15 of 2015 come from nine sporting codes, including four athletes and three cyclists.
There’s one each from cricket and soccer, but given the poor display by the Boks, nobody from the 15-man version of the game made our list.
He upstaged the reigning Olympic, world and Africa champions — Kirani James, LaShawn Merritt and Isaac Makwala — to win the 400m world crown in Beijing in a time that made him the fourth-fastest of all time. Going into this season, he had not beaten any of them, but he picked them all off this season.
The trailblazing Proteas batsman went on a record-breaking spree this year. In January he scored the fastest ODI ton off 31 balls and went on to score 149 off 44 balls against the West Indies.
The following month the 31year-old scored 162 off 66 balls against the same opponents at the World Cup. In that innings he was the fastest to 50, 100 and 150 in ODI history.
She won the Two Oceans and Comrades this year, making her the first South African woman to win the ultra double since Frith van der Merwe in 1989.
As it was she was the first local woman to win the Two Oceans since Sarah Mahlangu in 2000 and the Comrades since TRAILBLAZER: AB de Villiers scored the fastest ODI in 2015 Rae Bisschoff in 1998. Not bad for someone who took up running to shed baby weight.
After being an also-ran in the finals at the 2012 Olympics and 2013 world championships, he came of age this year.
The 23-year-old won the 200m bronze at the world champs in Beijing, finishing behind Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin. That’s a third place that somehow seems more valuable than a bronze.
He retained his 100m butterfly world title this year, which he failed to do in the 200m event in which he won the 2012 Olympic TOP: Caroline Wostmann won Two Oceans and Comrades gold. He’s world champion, but 2015 wasn’t his best year in the pool. With Michael Phelps on the comeback trail, Le Clos has his work cut out next year.
The US-based player became the first South African since Wayne Ferreira in 18 years to break into the world top 10. He beat Andy Murray to advance to the US Open quarterfinals this year, the furthest he has gone at a grand slam. At Wimbledon he gave Novak Djokovic a scare before losing in five sets.
The former schoolboy sprinter showed that in all forms of STYLISH: Anaso Jobodwana came of age this year rugby there is still no substitute for sheer pace in wider channels. Senatla scored 47 tries in the 2014-15 HSBC World Sevens Series as the Blitzboks finished second overall.
No finisher is as lethal in the sport. Once his Sevens commitments are realised at the 2016 Olympic Games, he will turn his attention to the 15-man game, which is an exciting prospect.
After legendary Banyana Banyana striker Portia Modise retired earlier this year, a new star was born in Seoposenwe.
The US-based forward bagged five goals in the qualifiers as coach Vera Pauw’s ladies booked a spot at the 2016 Rio Olympics. A cool, calm finisher.
He had to settle for silver in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events at the world championships, but he clocked his best times since 2012. He went on to win the World Cup series.
Couldn’t have asked for much more from a true gladiator.
The six-times Midmar Mile king won the 5km open water world title this year. But the 2008 Olympian must convert that success into the 10km discipline in time for the 2016 Rio Games.
She finished the year ranked second in the world and won bronze at the Beijing world championships.
This cyclist keeps going downhill, but in his case that’s a good thing. The three-times world downhill champion took silver in 2015. Pity this isn’t an Olympic discipline.
Became the first South African women to win a rowing world championship medal when they took bronze in the lightweight double sculls. SPEED MERCHANT: Wayde van Niekerk won the 400m crown at the world championships in Beijing
The 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist scored several top-10 finishes in European races and also finished the year ranked sixth in the world.
The WBA and IBO strawweight champion made two successful defences in 2015, taking his IBO tally to nine defences and WBA to four. Ranked No 1 by The Ring magazine.