Finalists for 2024 Sports Awards announced
Sports Awards
The 2024 Namibian Sports Awards will be held on 22 November at the Windhoek Country Club.
The finalists for the prestigious annual sports awards were announced in 18 divisions yesterday.
The divisions are sports journalism (broadcast, digital, print), junior sportswoman and sportsman with a disability, senior sports woman and man with a disability, junior sports woman and man, senior sports woman and man, sports team, referee, coach, sports association, development program and community inspired program of the year.
Among the surprising, lesser-known names to have made it among the finalists was Arian van der Plas, goalkeeper of the senior men’s inline hockey national team. At the world championship in Italy this year, Van der Plas maintained an average of close to 90 percent successful saves of the shots taken at the Namibian goal, which was a big factor in the team’s surprising rise to the semi-final and eventual fourth-place finish at the tournament.
In the category of Senior Sportsman of the year, Van der Plas has progressed to be measured against the country’s top stars in three individual sports, namely the rifle shooter Francois Marais junior and archer Jannie Meuwesen, who both won world titles in the last twelve months, as well as mountain biker Alex Miller.
Vera Looser, winner of the 2023 Sportswoman of the year as well as Sports Star of the year, will again be a strong contender, having won the prestigious UCI Marathon World Cup series of three events held in Czech Republic, France and USA.
Looser’s challengers this year will be wrestler Ester Abraham and marathon runner Helalia Johannes, who became the first Namibian (and only so far) to have competed at five Olympic Games.
Paralympic sprinter Lahja Ishitile’s gold medal in Paris with a new Paralympic Games record in the 400 metres (T11) was also among the biggest highlights of the year by any Namibian. She has been nominated in the Sports Star of the year category alongside Miller, Meuwesen and long jumper Lionel Coetzee.
The 2024 finalists are:
Sports journalists, broadcasting: Michael Ditu, Terence Mukasa and Strauss Lunyangwe.
Sports journalists, digital: Brian Munango, Tangi Muludu and Strauss Lunyangwe.
Sports journalists, print: Mariud Ngula and Strauss Lunyangwe.
2024 Sports Star of the year
Alex Miller (cycling), Lionel Coetzee (athletics, long jump), Jannie Meuwesen (archery) and Lahja Ishitile (Paralympic athletics).
Junior sportswoman of the year
Jessica Humphrey (swimming), Maja Brinkmann (triathlon), Jessica Blaauw (diving) and Delsia Janse van Vuuren (cycling).
Junior sportsman of the year
Roger Surén (cycling) and Magano Naseb (athletics).
Senior sportswoman of the year
Vera Looser (cycling), Ester Abraham (wrestling) and Helalia Johannes (athletics, road running).
Senior sportsman of the year
Jannie Meuwesen (archery), Francois Marais junior (rifle shooting), Arian van der Plas (inline hockey, senior men’s team goalkeeper) and Alex Miller (cycling).
Junior sportswoman of the year with a disability
Lahja Iipinge (athletics), Veronica Kasolola (athletics) and Namasiku van der Linden (swimming).
Junior sportsman of the year with a disability
Zekka Chikumba, David Isack and Amavilla Shapumba.
Senior sportswoman of the year with a disability
Lahja Ishitile and Johanna Benson (both athletics).
Senior sportsman of the year with a disability
Ananias Shikongo, Chris Kinda, Johannes Nambala and Petrus Karuli (all athletics).
Sports team of the year
Namibian Aquatics Sport Federation (NASFED, swimming team at African Games), Namibian Inline Hockey Association (senior men's team at World Championships), Namibian Hunting Rifle Association (World Championships) and Namibia Precision Rifle Shooting (World Championships).
Coach of the year
Nadia Schmidt (inline hockey), Letu Hamhola (athletics), T’Niel Young (Namibia Paralympic Committee) and Vesselin Kostin (gymnastics).
Referee of the year
Antsino Twanyanyukwa (football), Helmut Mack (cricket) and Trevina Shivolo (boxing).
Community inspired program of the year
Delano Muller (Namibian Kickboxing Federation), Richard Frankle (Namibian Equestrian Federation) and Aroab Soccer Academy (Namibia Football Association).
Development program of the year
Namibian Cycling Federation (RMB Kids on Bikes), Namibia Football Association (NFA development program) and Namibian Hockey Union (Standard Bank junior hockey initiative).
Sports Association of the year
Cricket Namibia and Namibia Rugby Union.
– [email protected]
The finalists for the prestigious annual sports awards were announced in 18 divisions yesterday.
The divisions are sports journalism (broadcast, digital, print), junior sportswoman and sportsman with a disability, senior sports woman and man with a disability, junior sports woman and man, senior sports woman and man, sports team, referee, coach, sports association, development program and community inspired program of the year.
Among the surprising, lesser-known names to have made it among the finalists was Arian van der Plas, goalkeeper of the senior men’s inline hockey national team. At the world championship in Italy this year, Van der Plas maintained an average of close to 90 percent successful saves of the shots taken at the Namibian goal, which was a big factor in the team’s surprising rise to the semi-final and eventual fourth-place finish at the tournament.
In the category of Senior Sportsman of the year, Van der Plas has progressed to be measured against the country’s top stars in three individual sports, namely the rifle shooter Francois Marais junior and archer Jannie Meuwesen, who both won world titles in the last twelve months, as well as mountain biker Alex Miller.
Vera Looser, winner of the 2023 Sportswoman of the year as well as Sports Star of the year, will again be a strong contender, having won the prestigious UCI Marathon World Cup series of three events held in Czech Republic, France and USA.
Looser’s challengers this year will be wrestler Ester Abraham and marathon runner Helalia Johannes, who became the first Namibian (and only so far) to have competed at five Olympic Games.
Paralympic sprinter Lahja Ishitile’s gold medal in Paris with a new Paralympic Games record in the 400 metres (T11) was also among the biggest highlights of the year by any Namibian. She has been nominated in the Sports Star of the year category alongside Miller, Meuwesen and long jumper Lionel Coetzee.
The 2024 finalists are:
Sports journalists, broadcasting: Michael Ditu, Terence Mukasa and Strauss Lunyangwe.
Sports journalists, digital: Brian Munango, Tangi Muludu and Strauss Lunyangwe.
Sports journalists, print: Mariud Ngula and Strauss Lunyangwe.
2024 Sports Star of the year
Alex Miller (cycling), Lionel Coetzee (athletics, long jump), Jannie Meuwesen (archery) and Lahja Ishitile (Paralympic athletics).
Junior sportswoman of the year
Jessica Humphrey (swimming), Maja Brinkmann (triathlon), Jessica Blaauw (diving) and Delsia Janse van Vuuren (cycling).
Junior sportsman of the year
Roger Surén (cycling) and Magano Naseb (athletics).
Senior sportswoman of the year
Vera Looser (cycling), Ester Abraham (wrestling) and Helalia Johannes (athletics, road running).
Senior sportsman of the year
Jannie Meuwesen (archery), Francois Marais junior (rifle shooting), Arian van der Plas (inline hockey, senior men’s team goalkeeper) and Alex Miller (cycling).
Junior sportswoman of the year with a disability
Lahja Iipinge (athletics), Veronica Kasolola (athletics) and Namasiku van der Linden (swimming).
Junior sportsman of the year with a disability
Zekka Chikumba, David Isack and Amavilla Shapumba.
Senior sportswoman of the year with a disability
Lahja Ishitile and Johanna Benson (both athletics).
Senior sportsman of the year with a disability
Ananias Shikongo, Chris Kinda, Johannes Nambala and Petrus Karuli (all athletics).
Sports team of the year
Namibian Aquatics Sport Federation (NASFED, swimming team at African Games), Namibian Inline Hockey Association (senior men's team at World Championships), Namibian Hunting Rifle Association (World Championships) and Namibia Precision Rifle Shooting (World Championships).
Coach of the year
Nadia Schmidt (inline hockey), Letu Hamhola (athletics), T’Niel Young (Namibia Paralympic Committee) and Vesselin Kostin (gymnastics).
Referee of the year
Antsino Twanyanyukwa (football), Helmut Mack (cricket) and Trevina Shivolo (boxing).
Community inspired program of the year
Delano Muller (Namibian Kickboxing Federation), Richard Frankle (Namibian Equestrian Federation) and Aroab Soccer Academy (Namibia Football Association).
Development program of the year
Namibian Cycling Federation (RMB Kids on Bikes), Namibia Football Association (NFA development program) and Namibian Hockey Union (Standard Bank junior hockey initiative).
Sports Association of the year
Cricket Namibia and Namibia Rugby Union.
– [email protected]
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