BLOEMFONTEIN. Achievers in sport from across the Free State were once again celebrated at the annual, glamorous Free State Sport Star awards held at the Monte Bello Estate on Thursday night, 9 October.
This event is hosted by KovsieSport, of the University of the Free State (UFS), and Novus Media with Standard Bank being the main sponsor.
Sports stars from school to senior level qualify to be recognised; not only as winners in one of the many categories, but also to be honoured for their hard work and achievements.
Well-known women’s athlete Louzanne Coetzee, who has won three medals at the Paralympic Games and was named was this year’s keynote speaker. Coetzee won last year’s awards as Sportswoman of the Year and Sports Star of the Year. She encouraged all athletes to keep chasing all their dreams even if it feels impossible.
Netball player Rolene Streutker stole the spotlight, walking away with three awards — Kovsiesport Sportswoman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, and the evening’s highest honour: Sport Star of the Year.
Rolene delivered a phenomenal season both domestically and internationally. Locally, she helped the UFS Kovsies clinch the 2024 Varsity Netball Championship. In January 2025, she represented South Africa as a finalist in the Netball Nations Cup; and in September 2025, she represented the country in a series against New Zealand.
The Kovsies netball team also won the Team of the Year award.
Ernesta Strydom received the award for Official of the Year. Strydom has served as a technical officer at five Paralympic Games, including her most recent service in 2024, as well as at the 2012 London Olympics, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Netball player Bianca Lubbe won the award as Junior Kovsiesport Sportswoman of the Year. Lubbe was part of the Crinums team that won the silver medal in the Telkom Netball Championships. She also participated in the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup, where the team finished fourth.
Rugby player Erich Visser received the award for Junior Kovsiesport Sportsman of the Year. Visser played in the opening match for the Junior Springboks against Australia, where the South African team went on to win the championship.
Mthi Mthimkulu was crowned Kovsiesport Sportsman of the Year. Mthimkulu participated in the World Athletics Relay Championships in China, competing in both the men’s and mixed 4x400m relays. In September 2025, he secured a place on the national team to compete in the 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Championships.
In addition to being named Kovsiesport Sportsman of the Year, Mthimkulu also walked away with the Sportsman of the Year award.
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