Lara van Niekerk leads swimming charge at SA Sports Awards

Swimming dominated the South African Sports Awards ceremony at Sun City on Saturday night, with Lara van Niekerk picking up Sportswoman of the Year, Pieter Coetzé Sportsman of the Year and Rocco Meiring the Coach of the Year.

Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Andile Dlamini was named Sports Star of the Year for her role in the team’s victory at the Women’s African Nations’ Cup in Morocco last year.

But most of the main awards were based on performances at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year, and it was the poolside warriors who the judges felt had made the biggest splash in 2022.

Breaststroke sprint queen Van Niekerk, in matric last year, won two Commonwealth Games gold medals in Birmingham, in the 50m and the 100m, where she dethroned compatriot Tatjana Schoenmaker.

But she also achieved success at both world championship galas, taking 50m bronze at the long-course edition in Budapest and silver at the short-course event in Melbourne.

Coetzé, a Grade 11 pupil, picked up three Commonwealth Games medals, claiming gold in the men’s 100m backstroke, silver in the 50m and bronze in the 200m.

Meiring coaches Coetzé, Olympic champion Schoenmaker, who won the Commonwealth Games 200m breaststroke gold, and Kaylene Corbett, who took bronze in the same event.

Teen swimmer Minke Janse van Rensburg claimed Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability for her tsunami of Downs Syndrome world records. 

Visually impaired sprinter Jonathan Ntutu took Sportsman of the Year with a Disability for retaining his 100m Commonwealth Games crown.

The Blitzboks, who played almost flawless rugby to win the sevens gold at the Commonwealth Games, were named Team of the Year. They also ended second in the World Rugby Sevens Series.

Even the Newcomer of the Year award came out of a Commonwealth Games performance, given to boxer Simnikiwe Bongco for his bronze in the middleweight competition. 

Other winners were:

• Cricket SA (federation)

• Limpopo Ncuva (indigenous games team)

• Waves for Change (recreation body)

• St Benedicts rowing (school team)

• Helen Franz Special School wheelchair tennis (developing school)

• Hloni Mtimkulu (journalist)

• Samkelo Gambushe (photographer)

• Zizo Popu (volunteer)

• Portia Dimu (administrator)