Wits University sporting talent shines at annual sports awards
- Tshepiso Mametela
The annual Wits Sports Awards came full circle at the Wits Sports Conference Centre on 30 September after a tumultuous year dominated by the cancellation of sporting events due to the pandemic.
Wits' cohort of star student-athletes grabbed the headlines for their exceptional on-field performances where, despite strict regulations against spectator attendance, the boys and girls in blue excelled.
Notably, the high-performance athletes shone beyond just the saturated university sporting field, as several names attained national team honours and participated in events hosted both locally and abroad.
The biggest winners on the night came in the form of Wits first team hockey men’s player Rusten Abrahams and Nomnikelo Veto, who pushes the envelope as a commanding front-runner for the Wits first team hockey women’s side.
The pair walked away as the recipients of the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, respectively, having both played a starring role for South Africa at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics held in Japan from 23 July to 8 August this year.
Abrahams, who has twice been nominated for the prestigious accolade, described receiving the award as a milestone "I've worked hard for this, since 2017."
"I didn't expect the award as the other finalists are all amazing athletes. I take nothing for granted because everyone works extremely hard to be where they are," Abrahams said.
Speaking about Veto’s contribution to the Wits Hockey programme, the sports officer for hockey at Wits, Sharmin Naidoo, said she has been invaluable in propelling the institution forward in the past three years.
Before being named the year’s award recipient in her category, the hockey ace was a finalist for the gong on two previous occasions.
Naidoo said Veto has been invaluable to the Wits hockey programme, with the honour now raising her profile as a mainstay senior player to unimaginable heights.
“I’ve watched her grow in the first team, having already represented the national under-21 ladies team, during which time she helped us get out of the B section of Ussa, as well as perform well in the Varsity Hockey competition,” Naidoo expressed.
Another forceful player, this time for the Wits netball first team, Panashe Chiranga, cut a humbled figure after being bestowed with the Junior Sportswoman of the Year award.
Chiranga was selected for the national Spar Baby Proteas Squad to play in the 2020/21 Netball World Youth Cup before the event was cancelled due to 网易体育 concerns.
“Being a nominee or finalist for these awards is always a bit of a shock to the system. Winning is the cherry on top, especially with the calibre of great players I was nominated alongside,” Chiranga said.
For the first time, campus radio station VOW FM delivered the awards evening across the airwaves after jumping on as the broadcast partner.
Sports presenter Kamogelo Mogale reflected excitedly on the occasion and the atmosphere by which it was accompanied.
He noted that the on-air talent at the community station had the opportunity to rub shoulders with their student-athlete honourees.
“The awards were great to witness, especially after the year we've had. It was great seeing athletes, coaches and administrators being rewarded for the work they've [put in] under difficult circumstances,” said Mogale.
“It was content we loved covering as it also provided an opportunity for VOW FM Sport to rekindle its relationship with Wits Sport.
“It was great broadcasting live at the awards ceremony – interacting with all the nominees and gaining an in-depth understanding of what they went through during the harsh lockdown,” he added.