Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Ashleigh Moolman Pasio has been crowned SPAR gsport Athlete of the Year in Johannesburg.
Moolman Pasio fought off stiff competition from World Canoe Sprint Champs bronze medallist Bridgitte Hartley, and inspirational national netball captain Maryka Holtzhausen, to win the coveted trophy at the 2014 SPAR gsport Awards on Monday.
Moolman Pasio has been South Africa’s top-ranked women’s road cyclist for the last three years, currently ranked in the top 30 in the world. Her ambition is to achieve a top-5 World Ranking by 2016, to win a World Cup race and to achieve a medal, preferably gold, at Rio 2016.
In an honour deserving of the moment, SASOL Banyana Banyana stalwart Portia Modise received the gsport Special Recognition Award for becoming the first South African footballer – male or female, to score 100 international goals. Modise is the most capped player for Banyana Banyana with 114 caps, having made her national debut at the age of 15.
In the further two key athlete categories, Tuks and SPAR Proteas shooter Lenize Potgieter was named gsport Up and Coming Athlete of the Year, while 2014 UCI World Champion in time trial and road race, Justine Asher was crowned gsport Athlete of the Year with Disability.
SPAR Proteas netball star Zanele Mdodana won the public vote when she earned the most votes at the gsport website, beating off former Style Star winner Shashi Naidoo and Bridgitte Hartley to win the gsport Style Star of the Year award.
Mdodana becomes the first sports woman to win the Style award, a category previously dominated by celebrities.
Footballer-turned-administrator Pearl Mosoane was honoured for her promotion of women’s football development when she won the gsport Woman of the Year award, beating off strong competition from Discovery Sports Heroes Walk founder, Cynthia Tshaka, and Netball South Africa President, Mimi Mthethwa.
In the gsport Woman in Media category, Daily Sun sports reporter Busisiwe Mokwena was the judge’s choice in a category also including SABC Sport Radio and TV presenter Romy Titus and Phalaphala sports commentator Thina Ramantswana.
In the newly-launched Social Media Star of the Year category, women’s sports crusaders Ntando Stemmet overcame stiff competition from @BBallMagSA founder Lungi Mchunu and the SASOL Banyana Banyana team to win the Award’s inaugural honours.
Bowls South Africa was honoured for its role in raising the profile of women’s bowls, following the women’s team’s golden showing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Of the seven medals won by the Lawn Bowls team in Glasgow, the women’s team accounted for two gold medals and two bronze medals, with Tracy-Lee Botha finishing the event as the most successful SA women athlete in Glasgow, featuring in the double gold success in the Fours and the Pairs.
The gsport Sponsor of the Year award was presented to Airports Company South Africa for its loyal support of wheelchair tennis in South Africa since 2005. Over the years, ACSA has ensured strong support for development of the sport, especially among women, ensuring that stars likes Mariska Venter and KG Montjane get to perform at their best on the world stage.
One of the biggest cheers of the morning was reserved for sports broadcasting pioneer, and the first woman anchor on SuperSport, Tinky Pringle, who was inducted into the gsport Hall of Fame, for paving the way for young women in the industry. Having kicked off her career at the SABC, Pringle spent 10 years with SuperSport covering live sport including football, tennis, rugby, Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, cricket and golf.
The 2014 SPAR gsport Awards Winners: gsport Volunteer of the Year: Khweshy Dubula gsport Sports Federation of the Year: Bowls South Africa gsport Sponsor of the Year: Airports Company South Africa gsport Special Recognition Award Portia Modise gsport Style Star: Zanele Mdodana gsport Social Media: Star Ntando Stemmet gsport Woman in Media: Busisiwe Mokwena gsport Woman of the Year: Pearl Mosoane gsport Coach of the Year: Hilton Moreeng gsport Up and Coming Athlete of the Year: Lenize Potgieter gsport Athlete of the Year with Disability: Justine Asher SPAR gsport Athlete of the Year: Ashleigh Moolman Pasio 2014 gsport Hall of Fame Inductee: Tinky Pringle gsport Social Media Platforms: facebook.com/gsport4girls twitter.com/gsport4girls instagram.com/gsport4girls The gsport Awards Honours Roll 2006: Penny Heyns (inaugural gsport Hall of Fame Inductee) 2007 Winners: Hazel Gumede (2007 gsport Hall of Fame Inductee) Portia Modise (2007 gsport Athlete of the Year) Lesley Copeman (2007 gsport Woman of the Year) Melinda Lombard (2007 gsport Woman in Media) Vanya Mangaliso (2007 gsport Style Star Award) Ilse Langhout (2007 gsport Volunteer of the Year) 2008 Winners: Elana Meyer (2008 gsport Hall of Fame Inductee) Tarryn Chudleigh (2008 gsport Athlete of the Year) Beaulah Schoeman (2008 gsport Woman of the Year) Renelle Naidoo (2008 gsport Woman in Media) Tanya van Graan (2008 gsport Style Star Award) Mpho Makhoba (2008 gsport Personal Account Writer of the Year) Bronwyn Chudleigh (2008 gsport Volunteer of the Year) 2009 Winners: Desiree Ellis (2009 gsport Hall of Fame Inductee) Noni Tenge (2009 gsport Athlete of the Year) Mbali Zantsi (2009 gsport Woman of the Year) Beverley Maphangwa (2009 gsport Woman in Media) Uyanda Mbuli (2009 gsport Style Star Award) Clare Vale (2009 gsport Personal Account Writer of the Year) Lunga Ntuli (2009 gsport Volunteer of the Year) 2010 Winners: Motlatsi Keikabile (2010 gsport Hall of Fame Inductee) Rosy Hodge (2010 gsport Athlete of the Year) Sandy Flanagan (2010 gsport Woman of the Year) Natalie le Clue (2010 gsport Woman in Media) Bonang Matheba (2010 gsport Style Star Award) Fabienne Lanz (2010 gsport Personal Account Writer of the Year) 1GOAL.com (2010 gsport Volunteer of the Year) 2011 gsport Awards Winners: Dorothy Tsotsobe (2011 gsport Hall of Fame Inductee) Pietie Coetzee (2011 gsport Athlete of the Year) Dr Sherylle Calder (2011 gsport Woman of the Year) Melissa Reddy (2011 gsport Woman in Media) Shashi Naidoo (2011 gsport Style Star Award) Surfing South Africa (2011 gsport Sports Federation of the Year) SPAR (2011 gsport Sponsor of the Year) Masalang Moshaisa (2011 gsport Volunteer of the Year) 2012 SPAR gsport Awards Winners: Muditambi Ravele (2012 gsport Hall of Fame Inductee) Caster Semenya (2012 SPAR gsport Athlete of the Year) Natalie du Toit (2012 gsport Athlete of the Year with Disability) Thato Makhafola (2012 gsport Up and Coming Athlete of the Year) Elize Kotze (2012 gsport Coach of the Year) Tarryn Steenekamp (2012 gsport Woman in Media) Venessa Clack (2012 gsport Woman of the Year) Lalla Hirayama (2012 gsport Style Star of the Year) SA Hockey Association (2012 gsport Sports Federation of the Year) SASOL (2012 gsport Sponsor of the Year) Anela Mahamba (2012 gsport Volunteer of the Year) Bruce Davidson (2012 SPAR Special Recognition Award) 2013 SPAR gsport Awards Winners: Frith van der Merwe (2013 gsport Hall of Fame Award Inductee) Mapaseka Makhanya (2013 SPAR gsport Athlete of the Year) KG Montjane (2013 gsport Athlete with Disability) Nathania van Niekerk (2013 gsport Up and Coming Athlete of the Year) Dominique Philippopoulos (2013 gsport Coach of the Year) Dikeledi Makhongoana (2013 gsport Woman in Media) Marlize Jordaan (2013 gsport Woman of the Year) Minnie Dlamini (2013 gsport Style Star Award) Women’s Professional Golf Association of SA (2013 gsport Sports Federation of the Year) Momentum South Africa (2013 gsport Sponsor of the Year) Morizane Boyes (2013 gsport Volunteer of the Year) Minister Fikile Mbalula (2013 gsport Special Recognition Award)
Photo 1 caption: 2014 SPAR gsport winners unveiled at the 2014 SPAR gsport included Busisiwe Mokwena (Woman in Media), Andy Dubula (on behalf of Volunteer of the Year, Khweshy Dubula), Unathi Batyati Filis from ACSA (Sponsor of the Year), Portia Modise (gsport Special Recognition Award), Tracy-Lee Botha, Colleen Piketh and Susan Nel (representing Federation of the Year, Bowls SA), Justine Asher (Athlete of the Year with Disability), Ntando Stemmet (Social Media Star of the Year), Lenize Potgieter (Up and Coming Athlete of the Year), Zanele Mdodana (Style Star of the Year), Edward Khoza (representing Coach of the Year, Hilton Moreeng) and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (SPAR gsport Athlete of the Year) at the Wanderers Club, in Illovo, Johannesburg, on Monday, 24 November, 2014. Not included in this photo were 2014 Hall of Fame inductee sports broadcasting pioneer, Tinky Pringle, and Women’s Football Development champion, Pearl Mosoane. Photo: Rebecca Hearfield / gsport
Photo 2 caption: 2014 gsport Hall of Fame Inductee Tinky Pringle was honoured on Monday, in recognition for paving the way for women in sports broadcasting. Photo: Rebecca Hearfield / gsport
(With editing by gsport)