Gongs galore as good sports strut black carpet
● From chugging down Bonang’s champopo to catching up with Caster, who led the track of sporting figures gathered at the Sandton Convention Centre on Sunday evening for this year’s Gauteng Sports Awards.
This is the trophy fest which, for no reason I could work out, rolls out a black rather than a red carpet for those who relish the limelight to strut. Who did? Irrepressible ex-Trending SA presenter Kuli Roberts (wearing a vintage David Tlale back when he designed for Carducci), model turned Spain-based sports analyst Jadot Kabamba and leggy marketer Pearl Nxele, who was the night’s most strikingly turned out.
While Moshe Ndiki, who recently got engaged to his singing beau, Phelo Bala, and Romy Titus chatted to those black-carpet waltzers, I got to meet one of the night’s nominees, pint-sized chess champ Minentle Miya, who last month bagged a trophy at the g sport awards.
“Seventeen medals and 12 trophies,” says the Eastern Cape schoolgirl when I ask her about the size of her growing winning haul.
On to meeting someone who from a distance looked like he’s auditioning for the role of Star Wars character Chewbacca. That’s Dan “Bishop” Motona, a Mamelodi Sundowns supporter who was nominated in the sports fan of the year category.
“I wanted something different,” he says of his furry camo outfit.
Someone who went the more elegant route was the Gauteng MEC whose sports, arts, culture & recreation department runs these awards: Mbali Hlophe.
On to Caster Semenya, who turned up in a dapper suit complete with bow tie.
Our two-time Olympic champion, who last month announced she will be joining a Gauteng-based soccer club as she continues to battle it out with the International Association of Athletics Federations, says her football prep is “coming along nicely”.
As for the awards?
Caster picked up sports personality of the year and Minentle added a 13th trophy to her collection after being named most promising athlete, but the Bishop lost out to cute soccer fan Mamello Constance Makha. Sprinter Akani Simbine was named sportsman of the year, swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker was crowned sportswoman of the year, and sports team of the year went to cricket side the Bizhub Lions.