2015 ROUNDUP: Memorable sporting events

The year 2015 saw several exciting sporting events. Some of the highlights were:

Wheelchair tennis players, and Westdene residents, Kgothatso Montjane and Evans Maripa clinched the men’s and women’s singles titles at Queensland Wheelchair Tennis Open, which took place in Brisbane, Australia from 7 to 10 January.

The Laerskool Louw Geldenhuys U8 cricket team performed admirably when the team from Linden played against a team made up of Proteas men and women cricketers in the second match of the KFC Mini-Cricket vs Proteas Tour at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Illovo on 11 January. They only lost by one run.

Westdene resident Decland Wright (11) broke the 600m world record at the Eagles Club Invitation Meeting held at the University of Pretoria on 30 January. Decland finished in 01:31:97 on the 600m shootout race with senior women, shattering the previous record of 01:33:07.

Auckland Park resident and discus star Johan Scholtz claimed gold for South Africa at the 12th Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) African Junior Athletics Championships, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 5 to 8 March.

The South African Canoe Polo Championships were held at Emmarentia Dam on 7 and 8 March. Aurecon Western Cape won the U21 category, while the Gauteng Barbarians won the senior category.

Rugby player turned canoeist, Graham Paull (27) won a gold medal in the para-canoe event at the Gauteng Canoe Union Sprint Championships at Roodeplaat Dam on 29 March. The North Riding resident followed his passion for rugby to the point where he was about to play for the Limpopo Blue Bulls. But a spinal infection caused him to be paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair.

Andrea Dalle Ave set an African record at the Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled. The Northcliff resident beat his own mark of 6.02m set at the 2012 London Paralympics when he claimed first place in the T31 long jump with a distance of 6.05m at the University of Johannesburg. Irmgard Bensusan (24) broke the 200m world record with 26.64 seconds, and the 400m world record with 61 seconds at the championships, and also took three gold medals

South African disabled wheelchair tennis player Lucas Sithole shone bright at the Airports Company South Africa Open quad singles final on 18 April, beating David Wagner 3–6, 6–3, 6–3.

Wits University accounting lecturer Caroline Wostmann, made history by becoming the first South African woman to win the Comrades since 1998. What made this feat incredible is that Wostmann paused for a toilet break while the Nurgalieva twins from Russia were close on her heels.

Local wheelchair tennis star Lucas Sithole (28) claimed his third Korea Open title with a 6–2; 6–1 clean sweep against fourth-seeded Antony Cotterill of Great Britain on 6 June.

MTN South Africa has postponed its 21km half marathon planned for 13 June in Johannesburg, due to security risks posed by strike action.

Triple amputee Lucas Sithole finished the 2015 Daegu Open with two titles. While, wheelchair tennis ace Evans Maripa, also a Westdene resident, produced arguably his most focused performance in the tournament but slipped to Dutchman Tom Egberink in the men’s final on 13 June.

The Jonathan Paton Memorial Prize was contested on 16 June at The Country Club Johannesburg, Auckland Park, with competitors playing golf croquet. Peter Caroto from Honeydew, along with partner Alastair Lang, won this year’s annual tournament.

South African wheelchair tennis quad ace Lucas ‘Twister’ Sithole, a Westdene resident, and Dylan Alcott captured their first French Open title in doubles competition on team debut in Paris, France, on 28 June

Members of the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club, based at Emmarentia Dam, were among many paddlers who were recognised for their achievements during the Gauteng Canoe Union annual awards ceremony held on 28 June. Chad Andrews, Chris de Bree, Greg Hoets and Peter Geach received their national colours for selection and participation at the World Canoe Polo Championships in France in 2014.

Pirates Sports and Rugby Club hosted its annual 10km run and walk on 5 July. Parking grounds were packed with cars of runners and walkers as 2 000 participants of all ages geared up to join in the fun and get some good exercise.

The Minister of Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula congratulated wheelchair tennis star and world number four, Lucas Sithole on 22 July, after the Westdene resident clinched his second British Open quads singles title in Nottingham, Great Britain, on 18 July.

South Africa wheelchair tennis player from Westdene Kgothatso ‘KG’ Montjane and her partner from Great Britain, Jordanne Whiley claimed their first Belgian Open doubles title on 1 August.

Pirates Rugby Club celebrated a victory over arch rivals, Wanderers Rugby Club, on 29 August. The win saw Pirates, which is based in Greenside, take the historic Danferd Cup with a convincing score of 45–5.

Resident of Roosevelt Park, Charles Joyce, won the Johannesburg Bowls Association (JBA) Perfect Delivery Senior Masters Men 2015 over the weekend of 29 to 30 August. Joyce is a member of the Roosevelt Park Bowling Club and has been bowling for 25 years.

Identical twins Elani and Lumé Landman represented South Africa at the Indian Ocean Island Games in Réunion, in August. The 21-year-old sisters are residents of Auckland Park and play for the University of Johannesburg.

Members of the Berario Badminton Club were selected to represent Southern Gauteng Badminton Association (SGBA) at the South African Veterans Open and Inter-Provincial Badminton Tournament held in Benoni. SGBA won the inter-provincial tournament A section.

Local athletes competed in the African Games in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that took place from 4 to 19 September. During the tournament, the competitors collectively brought home gold, two silvers and a bronze medal.

Both the Jozi Urban Race Adventure (JURA) and the Jozi Urban Mountain Bike Adventure (JUMA), set to take place on 5 and 6 September respectively, were cancelled due to severe damage of the track. The rains in the days leading up to the races caused flooding that compromised the safety of the proposed route and the man-made obstacles placed along the course. The total cost of both events was R5.3 million

Wheelchair tennis player, and Westdene resident, Kgothatso Montjane teamed up with Emmanuelle Morch from France to win the Toyota Open International de L’île de Ré women’s doubles title, in France.

The University of Johannesburg’s top athletes with disabilities made a strong showing at the 2015 Gauteng Sports Awards on 11 October. The institution’s para-rowing team claimed their second consecutive Sports Team of the Year Award, while paralympian Andrea Dalle Ave secured his first Sportsman of the Year with a disability title.

Wheelchair tennis ace, and Westdene resident, Kgothatso ‘KG’ Montjane was for a second time named Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability, at the Gauteng Sport Awards on 11 October.

University of Johannesburg (UJ) hosted the Shell Eco-Marathon South Africa at Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria. The marathon challenged students from around the world to design, build and drive energy efficient cars. UJ dominated the first four positions on the day with BMW Eco Team Pro 1 taking top spot in the battery-powered vehicle portion of the marathon.

Young swimmers demonstrated their swimming savvy at the Linrand Swimming Club for the 27th Lindrand Mini’Lympics Gala on 1 November. The aptly named ‘Mini’s’ has attracted thousands of little swimmers through the years from all across Gauteng and has fast gained momentum.

Wheelchair Tennis South Africa received the greatest recognition at the South African Sports Awards nominees announcement on 3 November. Two Westdene residents, Lucas Sithole and Kgothatso Monthane, were among the nominees for awards.

Terry Hinton (75) shot his age at Parkview Golf Club to claim the 2015 Bobby Locke Memorial Trophy on 7 November. The event was part of the club’s annual five-day festival to honour its most accomplished member, the late Bobby Locke.

The Golf Croquet National Championships took place at the Country Club Johannesburg, Auckland Park, on 16 to 21 November.

Lucas Sithole was named the SA Sportsman of the Year with Disability on 22 November. The South Africa number one and world number three wheelchair tennis quad ace from Westdene was for a third time named Sportsman of the Year with a Disability at the SA Sport Awards. He was bestowed the honour in 2012 and again in 2013.