Paralympians Louzanne Coetzee and Karabo Morapedi are finalists in two categories of this year’s Free State Sports Awards.
Most notable is the People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year category, representing inclusivity in sports with finalists who are either able-bodied or living with a disability.
This is for nominees chosen by the public for their excellence in representing the province and South Africa at global competitions.
Three other able-bodied finalists in the People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year category are Tshilwane Johannes Sonopo (gymnastics), Karla Pretorius (netball), and Khanyisa Chawane (netball). This is the only category affording the public the opportunity in having a say in terms of selecting the most-deserving winner among the five finalists.
Coetzee and Morapedi are the only finalists with a disability in the category, rewarding them for representing South Africa at the just-ended Paralympic Games in Paris, France. Coetzee added to her medal collection another Paralympics bronze on 2 September, when finishing third in the women’s 1 500 m race final with her guide Estean Badenhorst.
Morapedi, who debuted at this year’s Paralympics in France, is also a finalist for the Sportsman of the Year with a Disability award, alongside Nicholas Newman (para-triathlon, duathlon, and road running), and Thabiso Galeboe (football, players with cerebral palsy).
Coetzee is also a finalist for the Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability category, with her formidable male guides, Badenhorst and Claus Kempen. The other two finalists are Joane de Bruyn (cross-country) and Puleng Gabamele (table tennis).
Netball stars Pretorius and Chawane are also finalists for the Sportswoman of the Year, alongside Johanita Scholtz (badminton).
Wheelchair-bound Morapedi
The People’s Choice winner is guaranteed R40 000 in prize money.
The winner will be announced alongside the winners of other categories at the 2024 Free State Sport Stars ceremony set for Saturday, 21 September, in the City Hall in Bloemfontein.
The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation (DSACR) host the annual awards ceremony in partnership with the Free State Sport Confederation (FSSC).
The department announced a significant increase in prize monies in all the 21 categories of this premier’s awards ceremony which recognises athletes who excel in their respective sporting codes.
This year’s prizes total an approximate R500 000.
The winners of both Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year will take home R20 000 in prize money.
- Voting for these athletes in the People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year category can be done through WhatsApp, at 081-055-7287. Voting will close on 20 September at 13:00.
