Olympic silver medallist and world long jumper Luvo Manyonga won the South African Sports Star of the Year award at the rainbow nation’s annual sports awards in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Twenty-six-year-old Manyonga missed gold in Rio by just one centimetre and went one place better in London at the IAAF World Championships. A leap of 8.48 metres brought the gold medal to South Africa.
Manyonga is also only the third South African to win a Diamond League title in any discipline after Caster Semenya (800m) and Khotso Mokoena (long jump).
Manyonga, who recently moved from Pretoria to Port Elizabeth, saying he wanted to be closer to his family, also picked up the Sportsman of the Year award, while Semenya won two awards – the Sportswomen of the Year and People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year.
Semenya’s coach, Jean Verster, was also honoured, the Potchefstroom-based former national athlete being named Coach of the Year.
Rio Paralympian IPC Athletics World Championships gold medallist Dyan Buis won the Sportsman of the Year with a Disability award. Fellow Stellenbosch athlete and veteran Paralympian Ilse Hayes was named Sportswomen of the Year with a Disability.
The full list of winners:
Federation of the Year: Lifesaving SA
Administrator of the Year: Sanelisiwe Khuzwayo
School Team of the Year: St. Mary’s School
Developing School Team of the Year: Hlangabeza Primary School (U13 Chess)
Indigenous Games Team of the Year award: North West Kho-Kho Team
Recreation Body of the Year: In-Touch Community Support Group
Photographer of the Year: Simphiwe Nkwali
Journalist of the Year: OG Molefe
Newcomer of the Year: Sokwakhana Zazini
Team of the Year: Springbok Sevens
Sportsman of the Year with a Disability: Dyan Buis
Volunteer of the Year: Samuel Maduwa
Coach of the Year: Jean Verster
Sportswomen of the Year with a Disability: Ilse Hayes
Sportsman of the Year: Luvo Manyonga
Sportswoman of the Year: Caster Semenya
People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year: Caster Semenya
Sports Star of the Year: Luvo Manyonga
Pictures of Manyonga and Semenya courtesy of Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
