NAMIBIA SPORTS AWARDS 2016 · 21:20 – 21:25 Presentation of the NWR Chairperson’s Award –...

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NAMIBIA SPORTS AWARDS2016

Thursday 27 October 2016

SUPPLEMENT

Namibia Sport Awards27 October 2016 2

From the Chairman’s Desk

Namibia Sports Awards Program 28 October 2016

Theme “Thriving in the Namib”18:30 ArrivalofGuests19:00–2000 Guestsgetseatedanddinnerisserved BackgroundMusic–Weekendband/EquippedDanceAcademy (Choreography) Announcement by Director of Ceremonies: Ms.Lorraine Kondombolo & Mr. Ashwyn Mberi that the Bar will be closed during the presentation of Awards and Live coverage.

20:00–20:10 1.NationalAnthem&AUAnthem 2.Livebroadcaststarts

20:15–20:30 3.WelcomingbytheDirectorofCeremonyMrs.Lorraine Kondombolo&Mr.AshwynMberi. 4.AddressbyMs.LesleyTjiueza–ChairpersonAwardsJudging Panel. 5.LetusnowobserveamomentofSilenceinremembrance ofourSportsHeroesandHeroineswhopassed-onduringthe yearunderreview(names&picturesbeingshown) 6.PresentationofLifetimeAchievementAwards–TheNamibian Representative 20:30 – 20:35 Entertainment – Matongo Family

20:35–21:10 AwardsCeremony–1 1.CocaColaCoachoftheYear–MerylGroenewald/CocaCola 2.CocaColaReferee/Umpireoftheyear–MerylGroenewald 3.NWRVolunteeroftheyear–Mr.MufaroNesongano. 4.NBLTeamoftheyear–NamibiaBreweries. 5.MostImprovedSportsperson–NBC 6.MTCJuniorSportswomanoftheyear–Mr.JosephMundjindi 7.MTCJuniorSportsmanoftheyear–Mr.JosephMundjindi 8.NampowerJuniorSportsmanWithDisabilityOfTheYear Ms.MarthaShifotoka 9.NampowerJuniorSportsmanwithDisabilityoftheYear- Ms.MarthaShifotoka.

21:10 – 21:20 Entertainment – Matongo Family

21:20–21:25 PresentationoftheNWRChairperson’sAward–togetherwithNWR. Mr.JoelMatheus–ChairpersonNamibiaSportsCommission21:25–21:30 AddressbyMTC–Mr.TimEkandjo–ChiefHumanCapitalandCorpo rateAffairsOfficer(messageonbehalfofallsponsors)21:30–21:45 KeynoteAddressbyTheMinisterofSport,YouthandNationalService, HonorableJerryEkandjo

21:45 – 22:00 Entertainment – Big Ben Family

22:00–22:35 AwardsCeremony–2 1.FNBSportsJournalistoftheyearAwards–Mr.GordonPokolo. 2.NampowerSportsmanwithDisabilityoftheYear– Ms.TangeniKambangula 3.NampowerSportsmanwithDisabilityoftheYear– Ms.TangeniKambangula 4.MTCSportswomanoftheyear–HonorableAgnesTjongarero/ Mr.TimEkandjo 5.MTCSportsmanoftheYear–HonorableAgnesTjongarero/ Mr.TimEkandjo 6.MTCSportsAchieveroftheyear-HonorableJerryEkandjo/ Mr.TimEkandjo22:35–22:40 VoteofThanksby–Mr.MonicaShapwa–ChairpersonAwards CommitteePresentationofSponsors’gifts–ChaloChainda22:40–22:50 AUAnthem&NationalAnthem

22:50 – 23:05 Entertainment - Weekend band/Big Ben Family23:05 Music/Coffee/Departure

The 2016 Namibia Sports Awards is a high profile and elegant evening dedicated to

honour and recognise the exceptional performances of our athletes, coaches, administrators and technical officials. This annual event celebrates the true champions of Namibian sport.The Namibia Sports Awards recognise and showcase excellence in Namibian sports. The awards evolved over time to become a premier event that honours outstanding achievements of Namibia’s best athletes and leaders, thus showcasing the heroes that live

within sports. A nationally televised gala, the

2016 Namibia Sports Awards will bring together approximately 500 members of the sporting community to honour the spirit, drive and commitment of Namibia’s athletes, coaches, sports leaders, volunteers, media, inspired youth and many more.The Namibian Sports Commission is honoured once again to once again organise and support the entire event. We understand the importance of sport in our community and the 2016 Namibia Sports Awards is the perfect

opportunity to unite members of the community through sports. Throughout the years we have co-ordinated many awards ceremonies that have become prestigious and highly regarded throughout the country and this year’s sports awards will be no exception to this.

The glamorous event will take place at the Windhoek Country Club on the evening of the 28 October 2016. Many high-profile sports personalities will be attending the evening, showing their support for the country’s sporting successes. The year, 2016, has seen an abundance of sporting accomplishments within the country, regionally, continentally and internationally.

This year we will have 12 categories which will honour teams, sportsmen and women, amateurs and professionals, clubs, volunteers and the country’s youngest sports people, who have gone above and beyond to achieve great things for themselves and our beautiful country.

The Namibia Sports Awards would not be the yearly success it is without the support and participation of each and every sponsor, nominee, finalist and eventual winner. We thank them all for their contribution to the event and wish all of the future finalists the very best of luck. I thank you

Joel MatheusNSC: Chairperson

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Joel Matheus, NSC Chairperson

3Namibia Sport AwardsNamibia Sport Awards 27 October 2016

Namibia Sport Highlights 2015-16

Johannes Nambala won gold in the T13 200m at the IPC Athletics Championship in Doha, Qatar.

Immanuel Naidjala beat Cebo Ngema to win the WBA interim, bantamweight title.

Namibian captain Stephen Baard in action against Kenya.

Renaldo Bothma on the attack against Georgia at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

OCTOBER 2015

Namibia shine at Rugby World Cup

Namibia gave their best performance yet when they competed at their fifth consecutive Rugby World Cup in England in September and October 2015. Namibia once again lost all their matches, but they gained their first-ever bonus point after a narrow 17-16 defeat to Georgia.

Besides that, they also lost 58-14 to New Zealand, 35-22 to Tonga and 64-19 to Argentina during the group stages.

Naidjala wins WBA interim bantamweight title

Immanuel Naidjala won the WBA Interim Bantamweight title after beating Cebo Ngema of South Africa on a unanimous points decision over 12 rounds.

Naidjala, who impressed with his hand speed, comfortably won the fight with the three judges scoring it 118-111, 118-111, 120-108 in his favour. Julius Indongo reclaimed the WBO Africa Junior Welterweight title after another comfortable points victory against South Africa’s Zolani Marali, with the judges scoring it 120-108, 117-111, 120-108 in Indongo’s favour. Sakaria Lukas retained the WBA Africa Featherweight title after knocking compatriot Nathaneal Kamati out in the fifth round.

Nambala wins gold at IPC World Champs

Namibia won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the IPC Athletics World Championships which took place from 22 to 31 October in Doha, Qatar.Johannes Nambala won a gold medal in the T13 200m final in a new African record time of 21,74 seconds, and a bronze medal in the T13 400m in 48,68.Ananias Shikongo narrowly missed out on a gold medal when he finished second in the Men’s T11 200m final. Felipe Gomes of Brazil won gold in 22,83 seconds while Shikongo won silver in 22,84 seconds. Johanna Benson won a bronze medal in the Women’s T37 200m in a season’s best time of 29,98 seconds.

Namibia reach Davis Cup final

Namibian men’s tennis team made history when they reached the Davis Cup Africa Group 3 final for the first time, after beating Algeria 2-1.It was the first time that Namibia had reached the final, and a possible promotion to Group 2, after having played in Group 3 for more than a decade. They however lost the final, 2-0 to Egypt to remain in Group 3.

NOVEMBER 2015

Naigambo wins Valencia Marathon in record time

Beata Naigambo won the Valencia Marathon on 15 November for the second year in a row in a record time of 2:26:58.It was also a new personal best for Naigambo, who took 30 seconds off her previous best of 2:27:28 that she set at the Hamburg Marathon in April 2015.Naigambo finished well ahead of Kenya’s Janet Rono who was second in 2:27:34, while Morocco’s Malika Asahssah came third in 2:28:02.

Ahrens qualifies for third Olympics

Gaby Ahrens qualified for her third Olympic Games when she won the women’s Olympic Trap division at the African Shooting Championships in Cairo, Egypt on 29 November. The final was a nerve-wracking affair and fortunes swayed to and fro between Ahrens and her Moroccan opponent, Mariem Rammah, but Ahrens finally won the contest 15-10.

DECEMBER 2015

Ambunda defends IBO title

Paulus Ambunda successfully defended his IBO Super Bantamweight title after beating Jason Cooper of Australia over 12 rounds. Ambunda comfortably won the fight on points over 12 rounds, with the judges scoring it 120-108, 115-113, 117-111 in his favour. Immanuel Naidjala beat Nasibu Ramadhan of Tanzania on points over 12 rounds to win the vacant WBO Inter-continental bantamweight title, while Sackey Shikukutu beat Tyson Uushona on points over 12 rounds to win the IBO Africa welterweight title.

Women’s hockey make history against SA

Namibian women’s hockey team made history by beating South Africa and finishing second at an international Four Nations Hockey tournament in Durban. Namibia beat South Africa for the first time in South Africa with a 3-2 victory on 17 December. Namibia also beat the United States 3-2 but lost 2-1 to Australia to finish second in the group and qualify for the final against South Africa. South Africa were however much stronger in the final, winning the gold medal with a 6-0 victory. Namibia’s Petro Stoffberg won the goal keeper of the tournament award.

Namibian captain Maggie Mengo (left) in action against Australia.

Beata Naigambo Gaby Ahrens


Namibia won six medals at the Africa Archery Championship

Jonas Junias (right) won a gold medal in Cameroon to qualify for the Olympic Games

Namibia (in white) beat Hong Kong 70-8 at the World Rugby u20 Trophy

Above: Anthony Jarmann won the WBA Pan African junior middleweight title on 22 May

Japhet Uutoni (right) won the WBO International junior flyweight title on 6 May

Phillip Seidler broke six Namibian records at the SA Aquatic National Swimming Championships

JANUARY 2016

Namibia win six medals at Africa Archery Champs

Namibian archers won six medals at the Africa Archery Championships which Namibia hosted at the DTS Sport Grounds. In the individual compound category Francois Marais won a gold medal, Beanta Viviers silver and Ilana Malan bronze, while Namibia won two silver and one bronze medal in the Compound Team events. Namibia, however, failed to make an impact in the Recurve competition which served as the qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Junias wins gold at Zone 4 Champs

Jonas Junias won a gold medal at the Zone 4 Championships in Maputo, Mozambique on 29 January. Competing in the 64kg category, Junias beat a South African opponent in the final, dominating all three rounds. Matthias Hamunyela (49kg category) and Lazarus Shaningwa (60kg category) both won bronze medals after losing their semifinal fights.

FEBRUARY 2016

Junior cricketers make history

Namibia’s u19 cricket team made history in Fatullah, Bangladesh on 11 February when they beat Nepal by 15 runs to finish seventh at the u19 Cricket World Cup. By finishing as the top Associate member country at the Word Cup, Namibia automatically qualified for the 2018 World Cup along with the ten Test playing nations. Namibia caused the biggest shock of the tournament when they beat the defending champions South Africa by two wickets in the group stages on 31 January. They also beat Scotland by nine wickets and lost by eight wickets to Bangladesh to reach the quarterfinals for the first time, where they lost by 197 runs against the losing finalists, India.

Adrian wins gold to claim Olympic spot

Vera Adrian made history when she won the Women’s Road Race at the Africa Cycling Championships in Casablanca, Morocco on 25 February. It was the first time that a Namibian female cyclist had won gold at the continental road race championships, while she also claimed a first-ever spot for a Namibian female cyclist at the Olympic Games. Two days earlier Adrian also won the gold medal in the Women’s Individual Time Trial. She won the gold medal by the narrowest of margins, finishing a mere

1,01 seconds ahead of Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu of Rwanda. MARCH 2016

Jonas, Hamunyela qualify for Olympic Games

Namibian boxers Junius Jonas and Mathias Hamunyela qualified for the Rio Olympic Games after winning gold and silver medals respectively at the African Olympic Qualification tournament in Yaounde, Cameroon. Jonas won the gold medal in the 64kg welterweight category after his opponent withdrew due to injury. Hamunyela reached the 56kg bantamweight final after beating Sibusiso Bandla of South Africa in the semifinals. Hamunyela, however, had to withdraw from the final after picking up an injury in his semifinal victory, but as the losing finalist and silver medallist he also qualified for the Olympics.

Adrian third in Cape Town Cycle Tour

Vera Adrian came third in senior women’s category of the Cape Town Cycle Tour on 2 March. Adrian stayed with the leading group of female cyclists throughout the race and in a sprint to the line, finished third behind South Africa’s Anli Kachelhoffer and Lynette Burger. All three cyclists completed the 109km race in a time of 2 hours 51 minutes 26 seconds. Adrian’s Namibian team mate Michelle Vorster finished ninth overall in the Elite Women’s race, more than three minutes behind in 2:54:43.

Egypt, South Africa win u21 Africa hockey titles

Egypt won the men’s title and South Africa the women’s title at the Africa u21 Hockey Championships which ended in Windhoek on 28 March. In the men’s final, Egypt beat South Africa 3-2, while South Africa thrashed Zimbabwe 10-0 in the women’s final. Namibia’s women suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Zimbabwe in the semifinals, while Namibia’s men lost 5-3 to the same opponents in the semifinals.

APRIL 2016

Seidler breaks six records at SA National Aquatic Champs

Phillip Seidler broke six Namibian records at the SA Aquatic National Swimming Championship and Olympic Trials, which took place at the Kings Park Aquatics Centre in Durban from 10 to 16 April. In total,

Seidler broke six Namibian records, winning three youth gold medals, one youth bronze

medal and one senior bronze medal.MAY 2016

Namibia fourth at World Rugby u20 Trophy

Namibia finished fourth at the World Rugby u20 Trophy after losing 44-30 to Fiji in the third place playoff in Harare, Zimbabwe on 1 May. Earlier, Namibia finished second in Group B after beating the United States 46-44 and Hong Kong 70-8, but losing 40-22 to Spain.

Zimbabwe win Cossasa Championships

Zimbabwe successfully defended their Confederation of School Sport Associations of Southern Africa (Cossasa) Athletics Championships title after storming to the top on the last day of the competition on 15 May. Zimbabwe came first with a total of 55 medals (21 gold, 20 silver and 14 bronze), while Namibia came second with 52 medals (18 gold, 19 silver and 15 bronze) and Botswana third with 26 medals in total.

Jarmann wins WBA African junior middleweight title

Anthony Jarmann won the vacant WBA Pan African junior middleweight title in Windhoek on 22 May when he beat Christiano Ndombassy of Angola on a seventh round technical knock out. Jarmann dominated from the start and built up a big points lead with his strong jab. Ndombassy didnt have much to offer and by the end of the sixth round decided he had enough and failed to come out for the seventh round.

Utoni wins WBO International Junior flyweight title

Japhet Uutoni won the WBO International Junior flyweight title when he beat Bongani Silila of South Africa on a tenth round technical knockout in Limpopo on 6 May. Both boxers gave a great display in an action-packed fight, but Uutoni grew stronger as the fight progressed. By the tenth round he put Silila down with a body shot, and although Silila pretended it was a low blow, the referee stopped the fight and declared Uutoni the winner by TKO.

Namibia’s u19 cricket team finished seventh at the Junior Cricket World Cup

Vera Adrian

JUNE 2016

Ambunda loses world title

Paulus Ambunda lost his IBO Super Bantamweight title when he lost a unanimous points decision to Flores Moises of Mexico in Windhoek on 11 June. The three judges scored the bout 114-111, 115-112, 115-110 in favour of Moises, who had also put his WBO Interim Super Bantamweight title on the line in a unification ‘Super Fight.’

Namibia third at Nations Cup

Namibia finished third at the World Rugby Nations Cup in Romania, after coming from behind to beat Emerging Italy 38-26 on 19 June. It was Namibia’s second victory at the tournament after they beat Spain 34-32 on 13 June, while they finished level on points with second placed Argentina but with an inferior points difference. In their first match on 9 June, Namibia lost 20-8 to the eventual champions, Romania, who beat Argentina XV 20-8 in the final.

Namibian women eighth at Inline World Champs

Namibia’s senior women’s Inline Hockey team finished eighth and Namibia’s Junior Men 15th at the FIRS Inline Hockey Championships, which concluded in Italy on 19 June. Namibia’s women lost narrowly against the United States (6-4) and Finland (4-3) in the positional play-off matches, before losing 6-4 to Italy in the seventh-place play-off. Namibia’s Junior Men’s team finished 15th overall after beating Latvia 6-4 in the 15th place play-off match.

South Africa win Cosafa Cup

South Africa won a fourth Cosafa Castle Cup title with a 3-2 victory over Botswana in the 2016 final at Windhoek’s Sam Nujoma Stadium on 25 June. Gift Motupa scored two penalties for SA to go with a further strike by Thabiso Kutumela as South Africa joined Zambia and Zimbabwe on four titles each at the top of the all-time table. Earlier, Swaziland claimed the bronze medal after beating the guest nation DR Congo 1-0. The hosts, Namibia won the Plate trophy after beating Zambia 1-0 in the final on 24 June. Captain Ronald Ketjijere scored the winner from the penalty spot midway through the first half.

JULY 2016

Namibia win Cosafa u17 title

Namibia beat South Africa 3-1 on penalties following a full time score of 1-1 to win the Cosafa u17


Namibia won six medals at the Africa Archery Championship

Paulus Ambunda (right) lost his IBO Super Bantamweight title to Flores Moises on 11 June

JUNE 2016

Ambunda loses world title

Paulus Ambunda lost his IBO Super Bantamweight title when he lost a unanimous points decision to Flores Moises of Mexico in Windhoek on 11 June. The three judges scored the bout 114-111, 115-112, 115-110 in favour of Moises, who had also put his WBO Interim Super Bantamweight title on the line in a unification ‘Super Fight.’

Namibia third at Nations Cup

Namibia finished third at the World Rugby Nations Cup in Romania, after coming from behind to beat Emerging Italy 38-26 on 19 June. It was Namibia’s second victory at the tournament after they beat Spain 34-32 on 13 June, while they finished level on points with second placed Argentina but with an inferior points difference. In their first match on 9 June, Namibia lost 20-8 to the eventual champions, Romania, who beat Argentina XV 20-8 in the final.

Namibian women eighth at Inline World Champs

Namibia’s senior women’s Inline Hockey team finished eighth and Namibia’s Junior Men 15th at the FIRS Inline Hockey Championships, which concluded in Italy on 19 June. Namibia’s women lost narrowly against the United States (6-4) and Finland (4-3) in the positional play-off matches, before losing 6-4 to Italy in the seventh-place play-off. Namibia’s Junior Men’s team finished 15th overall after beating Latvia 6-4 in the 15th place play-off match.

South Africa win Cosafa Cup

South Africa won a fourth Cosafa Castle Cup title with a 3-2 victory over Botswana in the 2016 final at Windhoek’s Sam Nujoma Stadium on 25 June. Gift Motupa scored two penalties for SA to go with a further strike by Thabiso Kutumela as South Africa joined Zambia and Zimbabwe on four titles each at the top of the all-time table. Earlier, Swaziland claimed the bronze medal after beating the guest nation DR Congo 1-0. The hosts, Namibia won the Plate trophy after beating Zambia 1-0 in the final on 24 June. Captain Ronald Ketjijere scored the winner from the penalty spot midway through the first half.

JULY 2016

Namibia win Cosafa u17 title

Namibia beat South Africa 3-1 on penalties following a full time score of 1-1 to win the Cosafa u17

title in Mauritius on 31 July. Namibia had lost 4-0 to

SA during the group stages, but gave a vastly improved display in the final before claiming a deserved win in the shoot-out. Substitute Godwin Awaseb put Namibia 1-0 ahead midway through the first half but SA equalised through Thabiso Monyane with 20 minutes to go. The score remained 1-1 till full time and the match had to be decided on penalties, where Namibia’s goalkeeper Josef Phillipus was the hero, making several fine saves.

Disabled athletes shine in Berlin

Namibian athletes excelled at the IPC Athletic Grand Prix in Berlin, Germany on 16 and 17 July, winning a total of 15 medals, consisting of 10 gold, three silver and two bronze medals. Ananias Shikongo and Lahja Ishitile led the way with two gold and a silver medal each, while Johannes Nambala and Elias Ndimulunde won two gold medals each. Johanna Benson won a gold and a bronze medal.

Namibia reign supreme at World Karate Champs

Namibia finished at the top of the medal standings at the 8th JSKA World Karate Championships which took place in Swakopmund on 16 and 17 July. Namibia amassed a total of 154 medals, of which 49 were gold, 54 silver and 51 bronze to finish ahead of second-placed South Africa, who collected 68 medals overall, and third-placed Scotland, who scooped 24. Reigning senior world champion De Wet Moolman from Namibia was one of two outstanding performers at the championships, and won four gold medals in the senior kumite, senior kata, open kata and senior team kumite disciplines to go with his two silvers in open kumite and senior team kata.

Namibia win Plate at Universities Sevens

Namibia’s Universities Sevens rugby team won the Plate trophy and finished fifth overall after beating Italy 20-0 at the World Universities Championship Rugby Sevens Tournament in Swansea, Wales on 9 July. It was Namibia’s second victory against Italy after they won 40-12 in their group match on 7 July.

In Namibia’s other group matches they beat the Czech Republic 55-5, but lost 31-14 to Australia and 31-5 to Great Britain. In their first play-off match on 8 July, they beat Malaysia 43-7 after running in seven tries.

AUGUST 2016

Jonas nightmare overshadows Olympics

Namibia’s performances at the Olympic Games were overshadowed by events off the field, after boxer Junias

Jonas was arrested after an alleged sexual assault of an Olympic Village house keeper. Jonas was detained by the Brazilian authorities on 7 August, but the NNOC managed to ensure his release into custody of the Namibian embassy in Brazil in time for his opening fight on 11 August. Despite giving a brave performance, the emotional stress had clearly played a role and Junias was eliminated 3-0 on a unanimous points decision against Hassan Amzile of France in the 64kg light welterweight category. The rest of Namibia’s Olympians failed to make much of an impression at the Rio Olympics. Jonas’ boxing partner Mathias Hamunyela won his first round fight in the 49kg light flyweight category but then lost 3-0 to Birzhan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan.

Gaby Ahrens finished ninth overall in the Women’s Olympic Trap competition and narrowly missed out on a place in the final. In the Women’s Marathon on 14 August, Beata Naigambo came 41st in 2:36:32; Helalia Johannes 56th in 2:39:55 and Alina Armas 75th in 2:44:20. On 21 August, Mynhardt Kauanivi came 70th in the men’s marathon in a time of 2:20:45. In cycling, Dan Craven failed to finish the Men’s Road Race, while he came 35th in the Men’s Time Trial. Vera Adrian also failed to complete the Women’s Road Race, while Michelle Vorster failed to finish the Women’s Mountain Bike race.

Moses wins WBO Africa lightweight title

Paulus Moses won the vacant WBO Africa lightweight title after a unanimous points decision in his rematch against Thompson Mokwana of South Africa at the Windhoek Country Club on 6 August. Moses won the fight comfortably enough, with all three judges scoring in his favour, 116-112, 117-112, 117-113. It was a good night for Namibian boxers who all won their fights against foreign opponents. Immanuel Naidjala beat Fadhili Majiha of Tanzania to retain the WBO Intercontinental bantamweight title; Julius Indongo beat Fabian Lyimo of Tanzania on a first round TKO to retain the WBO Africa junior welterweight title; Jeremia Nakathila beat Jasper Seroka of South Africa on an eighth round TKO to win the WBO Africa junior lightweight title; and Walter Kautondokwa beat Walter Dlamini of South Africa on a first round TKO to win the WBO Africa middleweight title. Namibia win CAR Africa Cup

Namibia comfortably beat Zimbabwe 60-22 to win the CAR Africa Cup on 6 August. After leading 29-0 at halftime, Namibia ran in a total of nine tries to complete a one-sided

South Africa celebrate after winning the Cosafa Castle Cup Photo: BackpagePix

Namibia won the plate section Photo: BackpagePix

Janco Venter on the attack for Namibia against Kenya


Paulus Moses (left) beat Thompson Mokwana on points on 6 August

Immanuel Naidjala beat Cebo Ngema to win the WBA interim bantamweight title

Hendrik Somaeb of the Brave Warriors in action against Burundi

victory, although Zimbabwe came back with three second half tries. Namibian full back Johann Tromp scored a race, and Rohan Kitshoff, Renaldo Bothma, Gino Wilson Torsten van Jaarsveld and Justin Nel scored one each, while Namibia were also awarded a penalty try.

Namibian women shine against SA

South Africa’s women won their annual indoor hockey test series against Namibia in Durban, but they were pushed all the way by a committed Namibian side. The two sides weighed up evenly throughout the five-match series, with South Africa winning three tests and Namibia one, while one was drawn. South Africa’s men were however stronger then Namibia, winning the first four tests

comfortably, although Namibia came back to force a draw in the final test.

Namibia win u19 Africa Cup

Namibia qualified for the 2017 World Rugby u20 Trophy when they beat Zimbabwe 42-29 in the u19 Africa Cup final in Windhoek on 27 August. In an exciting match that ebbed and flowed, Namibia won the try count 6-4, but Zimbabwe pushed them all the way. Namibia reached the final after thrashing Tunisia 64-0 on 24 August. Namibia led 38-0 at halftime and eventually scored ten tries in a one-sided romp.

Skinner leads the way at SA Short Course Gala

Namibian swimmers were in

fine form at the South African Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, setting numerous national records in the process. Alexander Skinner led the way with 13 Namibian records while he qualified for two semifinals and three finals out of the seven events that he participated in.

SEPTEMBER 2016

Paralympians excel in Rio

Namibia’s Paralympians excelled at the Paralympic Games in Rio from 7 to 18 September, winning five medals in total, consisting of a gold medal, two silver and two bronze medals.

Ananias Shikongo led the way with a gold and two bronze medals. He opened his account with a bronze medal on 11

September when he came third in the Men’s T11 100m in an African record time of 11,11 seconds. Four days later he joined Johanna Benson in the history books as Namibia’s second gold Paralympian when he won the Men’s T11 200m in a new Paralympic record time of 22,44 seconds. On 17 September, Shikongo won a second bronze medal after finishing third in the T11 400m final in a personal best time of 50,63 seconds. Johannes Nambala won two silver medals in the Men’s T13 100m and 400m, while also breaking a world record in the process.

His first silver came in the Men’s T13 100m on 9 September in a time of 10,78 seconds, while his second silver came six days later when he broke the world record with a time of 47,21. Of Namibia’s other Paralympians, Johanna Benson reached three

finals, but failed to win a medal; Lahja Ishitile competed in three events but failed to make the finals; Martin Aloisius was eliminated in the first round in two events; and Moses Tobias and Elias Ndimulunde both competed in one event, being eliminated in the first round; while Ruben Soroseb finished ninth in the Men’s 107kg Powerlifting competition.

Brave Warriors lose to Senegal

Despite a gallant performance against Senegal in Dakar, that included a penalty save by goalkeeper Max Mbaeva, the Brave Warriors lost 2-0 in their Afcon Group K qualifier on 3 September. Senegal led 1-0 at halftime through a goal by Ibrahima Balde, while a last minute penalty by Mame Diouf

made the final sore 2-0 to the Teranga Lions. Senegal easily won the group with a maximum 18 points, while Burundi, Namibia and Niger all finished on six points.

Bowls team narrowly misses out on gold

Namibia narrowly missed out on winning their first-ever overall gold medal at the African States Bowls Tournament when both the men and women lost their final matches against Kenya on 14 September. South Africa won gold in the men’s competition with 18 points, while Namibia (17) won silver and Kenya (10) bronze. In the women’s competition, South Africa won the overall gold medal with 16 points while Namibia (15) won silver and Zimbabwe (12) bronze.

Ernest Jacobs of Namibia in action against SA at the Africa u21 Hockey Championship.

Even Tjiviju (guide), Ananias Shikongo, Sem Shimanda (guide) and Johannes Nambala pose with their medals.


GALLERY


NAMIBIA SPORTS AWARD NOMINEES

2016


Nampower Sportsman with Disability of the Year

Ruben Soroseb has been Namibia’s top Paralympics powerlifter for the past decade and this year qualified for his third Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

His debut at the Paralympic Games came in 2004 in Athens while he also qualified for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

With the weightlifting qualification for the Paralympic Games working on a four-year cycle, Soroseb had already qualified for the Rio Paralympics two years previously, when he came fourth at the 2014 Commonwealth Games with a weight of 205kg.

In July 2015 he participated at the All Africa Games in Congo-Brazzaville where he finished fifth with a weight of 200kg.

Injuries, however, disrupted his training and performances since then and he had to miss this year’s SA Championships due to an injury to his back.

At the Rio Paralympic Games he competed in the Men’s 107kg category where he came ninth out of 10 competitors after lifting a weight of 190kg.

Pavlos Mamalos of Greece won the gold medal with a weight of 238kg, while Ahmed Mohamed of Egypt won silver (233kg) and Ali Sadeghzadehsalmani of Iran bronze with 226kg.

RUBEN SOROSEB ANANIAS SHIKONGO Ananias Shikongo made history on 15 September 2016 when he won a gold medal in the Men’s T11 200m at the Rio Paralympic Games.

In the process he became only Namibia’s second Paralympian gold medallist, following Johanna Benson’s gold medal in the Women’s T37 200m in London 2012.

Shikongo won in a new Paralympic record time of 22,44 seconds which was just 0,03 seconds outside the world record set by David Brown of the United States in 2014.

Shikongo won a total of three medals at the Rio Paralympics after also winning bronze medals in the T11 100m and 400m. In the T11 100m final on 11 September, he finished third in an African record time of 11,11 seconds, and six days later he once again finished third in the T11 400m final in a personal best time of 50,63 seconds.

Shikongo also represented Namibia at the 2015 IPC Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar in October 2015, where he won a silver medal in the Men’s T11 200m after narrowly missing out on the gold medal. Felipe Gomes of Brazil won gold in 22,83 seconds while Shikongo won silver in 22,84 seconds.

JOHANNES NAMBALA

Johannes Nambala won two silver medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, while also breaking a world record in the process.

His first silver came in the Men’s T13 100m on 9 September. Jason Smyth of Ireland won the gold medal in 10,64 seconds while Nambala won silver in an African record time of 10,78 seconds. On September 15, Nambala broke the T11 400m world record, but was denied a gold medal by Mohamed Amguoun of Morocco who beat him in a dip to the line.

Amguoun won gold in 47,15 seconds and Nambala silver in 47,21, while they both beat the former world record of 47,83.

Nambala also starred at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar in October 2015, winning a gold and a bronze medal.

On October 26 he won gold in the T13 200m in a new African record time of 21,74 seconds and two days later he won bronze in the T13 400m in a season’s best time of 48,68 seconds.


Nampower Sportsman with Disability of the Year

Nampower Sportswoman with Disability of the Year

Rosa Mandjoro represented Namibia at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships where she competed in the Women’s T13 200m final and finished sixth in a personal best time of 29,26 seconds.

Ilse Hayes of South Africa won the gold medal in 25,24 seconds, followed by Kim Crosby of the United States (25,93) and Sanaa Benhama of Morocco (26,35). Mandjoro also competed at the South African SAPD Championship in Bloemfontein in March 2016 where she won a gold medal in the Women’s T13 400m and a silver medal in the Women’s T13 200m.

Initially Mandjoro had seemed to qualify for the Rio Paralympic Games with her achievements in Bloemfontein, but she later did not make the final Namibian team to Rio.

ROSA MANDJORO

JOHANNA BENSONNamibia’s 2012 Paralympian gold medallist, Johanna Benson, once again represented her country at the 2016 Paralympic Games. This time however she failed to win a medal although she reached three finals. On 8 September she finished third in her T37 100m heat in a personal best time of 14,23 seconds to

qualify for the final. The next day however she could only finish seventh in the final, once again in a personal best time of 14,16 seconds, while Georgina Hermitage of Great Britain won gold in a new world record of 13,13. Benson also reached the final of the Women’s T37 400m on 13 September

where she came eighth in a time of 1:12,35. The previous day she had come fourth in her first round heat in 1:10,79. On September 14, Benson competed in the Women’s T37 long jump where she came sixth with a distance of 3,61m.Benson also represented Namibia at the

IPC Athletic World Championships in October 2015, where she won a bronze medal in the Women’s T37 200m in a season’s best time of 29,98 seconds.At the South African SAPD Nedbank Championships in March 2016, Benson won three gold medals in the T37 100m, 200m and 400m.


Nampower Junior Sportswoman with a Disability of the Year

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Lahja Ishitile qualified for the Rio Paralympic Games where she represented Namibia in three events.

The 19-year-old Ishitile reached the semifinals of the Women’s T11 100m after finishing second in her first round heat on 7 September in a personal best time of 12,59 seconds.

In the semifinals, Ishitile once again improved her personal best time to 12,56 seconds, but she finished last in her heat and failed to qualify for the final.

On 12 September she came second in her T11 200m first round heat in 25,61 seconds to qualify for the semifinals. She however failed to make the final after coming third in her semifinal heat in 25,37.

On 16 September she came second in her T11 400m heat in 58,97 seconds, but failed to qualify for the final.

Ishitile also represented Namibia at the IPC World Championships in Doha, Qatar, but she failed to reach the T11 100m and 400m finals.

In March 2016 she competed at the South African SAPD Nedbank Championships in Bloemfontein where she won two gold medals in the T11 100m and 200m and bronze in the 400m.

Caitlin took part in her first international Paralympic-approved event in March. The joy in her eyes was

overwhelming as this is what she always wanted to do, to compete against other athletes

LAHJA ISHITILEKERTU AMUTENYAThe 18-year-old Kertu Amutenya is one of Namibia’s top up and coming disabled middle and long distance runners in the T13 category.

This year she excelled at the Paralympic Region 5 Trials at Rundu where she won gold medals in the 800m and 1 500m to qualify for the Region 5 u20 Youth Games which will be held in Angola in December 2016.

She also excelled abroad, when she won a silver medal at the SADC Marathon in Maputo, Mozambique.

“Kertu is a young upcoming athlete who is determined to make it in the future,” said Namibia Paralympic Committee secretary general Mike Hamukwaya.

“During the Region 5 trials she was outstanding in all the events that she competed in, to progress to the Region 5 Youth Games in Angola in December,” he added.

CAITLIN BOTHA

Caitlin Botha represented Namibia in swimming at the 2016 South African SAPD Nedbank Championships where she completed five events. The 19-year-old Botha completed the 50m backstroke in 1:44,70 and the 100m backstroke in 3:34,80.

She completed the 50m breaststroke in 1:58,68 and the 200m breaststroke in 4:00,68.She also completed the 100m freestyle in 3:14,27, but was disqualified in the 50m freestyle and the 50m butterfly.

“Caitlin took part in her first international Paralympic-approved event in March. The joy in her eyes was overwhelming as this is what she always wanted to do, to compete against other athletes,” said Namibia Paralympic Committee secretary general Mike Hamukwaya.


Nampower Junior Sportswoman with a Disability of the Year

He worked hard to make it to the team and reached his goal of qualifying for the upcoming

Region 5 u20 Youth Games in Angola.

ALFRED ALBERTU

Alfred Albertu is another one of Namibia’s up and coming disabled sprinters in the T11 category.

The 16-year-old Albertu competed at the Paralympic Region 5 Trials in August at Rundu where he won three silver medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m to qualify for the Region 5 u20 Youth Games in Angola in December 2016.

“Alfred is an upcoming athlete who is achieving his goals and going after them with enthusiasm,” said Mike Hamukwaya, the secretary general of the Namibia Paralympic Committee.

“He worked hard to make it to the team and reached his goal of qualifying for the upcoming Region 5 u20 Youth Games in Angola,” he added.

MATEUS KAMBUNDU

Mateus Kambundu is one of Namibia’s top up and coming disabled sprinters in the T11 category.

The 17-year-old Kambundu excelled at the Paralympic Region 5 Trials in August at Rundu where he won three gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m to qualify for the Region 5 u20 Youth Games in Angola in December 2016.

“Mateus is a young upcoming athlete who is determined to make it in the future,” said Mike Hamukwya, the secretary general of the Namibia Paralympic Committee.

“During the Region 5 trials he was an outstanding athlete who competed with courage and determination in all his events,” he added.

Nampower Junior Sportsman with a Disability of the Year

Abraham Hafenanye is one of Namibia’s top up and coming disabled middle distance athletes in the T13 category.

The 19-year-old Hafenanye won the gold medal at the Paralympic Region 5 Trials in August at Rundu, to qualify for the Region 5 u20 Youth Games in Angola in December 2016.

He also excelled at the South African SAPD Nedbank Championships in Bloemfontein in March 2016 when he won two gold medals.

He won gold in the Men’s T13 1 500m in a time of 4:42,84 and another gold in the 800m in a new South African record time of 2:10,92.

“His impressive achievements at a young age indicate that he is an exceptional athlete with a great future,” said Mike Hamukwya, the secretary general of the Namibia Paralympic Committee.

ABRAHAM HAFENANYE


MTC Sportsman of the Year

Paulus Ambunda established himself as one of the top super bantamweight boxers in the world over the past year.

He won the IBO world super bantamweight title when he beat Leandro Esperante of Argentina on a split decision over 12 rounds in Windhoek on 1 August 2015.

Four months later, he successfully defended his IBO world super bantamweight title with a dominant display against Jason Cooper of Australia at Ramatex in Windhoek.

Ambunda comfortably won the fight on a unanimous points decision over 12 rounds, with the judges scoring it 120-108, 115-113, 117-111 in his favour.

On 11 June 2016, Ambunda took on

Moises Flores of Mexico in a unification ‘Super Fight’ with both his title and Flores’ Interim WBA World Super Bantamweight titles on the line.

The fight went the full distance and Ambunda put up a good contest, but it was the Mexican Flores who emerged victorious with a unanimous points decision. The three judges scored it 114-111, 115-112, 115-110 in his favour.

Ambunda is currently ranked 13th in the world by the World Boxing Association and 15th in the world by the World Boxing Organisation.

PAULUS AMBUNDA

De Wet Moolman had an exceptional year competing for Namibia in the Japan Shotokan Karate Association (JSKA) style over the past year.

At the Shotokan Karate Swakopmund Open Tournament in April 2016, he won two gold medals in the Senior Men’s category and two months later he once again won two gold medals at the Namibia National Championship in Windhoek.

His most impressive performances however came at the JSKA World Championship which Namibia hosted in Swakopmund in July, where he was one of the two

outstanding performers at the championship.

He became the first Karate athlete to win four gold medals at a JSKA World Championship, while he also won two silver medals.

Moolman won four gold medals in the senior kumite, senior kata, open kata and senior team kumite disciplines to go with his two silvers in open kumite and senior team kata.

In the process he also won gold medals at three consecutive JSKA World Championships in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Moolman was also the assistant coach of the Namibia national team that competed at the Region 5 Karate Championships in Zimbabwe in May 2016.

DE WET MOOLMAN

Mynhardt Kauanivi distinguished himself as Namibia’s top marathon runner over the past year. In September 2015 he came 13th overall at the Cape Town Marathon in a personal best time of 2:18:24, which was well within the qualifying standard of 2:19:00 for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

In 2016 Kauanivi warmed up for the Olympic Games with some impressive performances in Namibia and Botswana, while he also displayed his versatility over various distances.

On 3 April he came second at the Gaberone Half Marathon in Botswana in a fast time of 1:05:19 and a week later excelled at the Swakopmund Grand Prix where he smashed Reinhold Iita’s long-standing national 10 000m record.

Iita’s previous record of 29:22,90 had stood for 18 years, but Kauanivi gave a great performance to improve it by more than 40 seconds, with a new time of 28:38,20.

He also won the Swakopmund leg of the Old Mutual Victory Races series in a personal best time of 1:05:06, and although he didn’t compete in the Keetmanshoop and Oshakati legs of the series, he came second overall behind Thomas Reinhold.

On 21 August, Kauanivi competed at in the Men’s Marathon at the Rio Olympic Games, where he came 70th in a time of 2:20:45, which was 12:01 behind the winner, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.

MYNHARDT KAUANIVI

Vera Adrian made history when she won the Women’s Road Race at the Africa Cycling Championships in Casablanca, Morocco on 25 February.

It was the first time that a Namibian female cyclist had won gold at the continental road race championships, while she also claimed a first-ever spot for a Namibian female cyclist at the Olympic Games.

The 120km road race in Ben Slimane, Morocco, came down to a sprint to the line, with Adrian winning in 3 hours 39 minutes 48 seconds, while An-li Kachelhoffer of South Africa came second and Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius third.

It was the second gold medal that Adrian had won at the Championships after she won the Women’s Individual Time Trial two days earlier. She won

BEATA NAIGAMBO


MTC Sportswoman of the Year

Vera Adrian made history when she won the Women’s Road Race at the Africa Cycling Championships in Casablanca, Morocco on 25 February.

It was the first time that a Namibian female cyclist had won gold at the continental road race championships, while she also claimed a first-ever spot for a Namibian female cyclist at the Olympic Games.

The 120km road race in Ben Slimane, Morocco, came down to a sprint to the line, with Adrian winning in 3 hours 39 minutes 48 seconds, while An-li Kachelhoffer of South Africa came second and Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius third.

It was the second gold medal that Adrian had won at the Championships after she won the Women’s Individual Time Trial two days earlier. She won

the gold medal by the narrowest of margins, finishing a mere 1,01 seconds ahead of Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu of Rwanda.

On 6 March, Adrian excelled to finish third in the Elite Women’s category of the Cape Town Cycle Tour.

In a sprint to the line, Adrian finished third behind South Africa’s Anli Kachelhoffer and Lynette Burger, with all three cyclists completing the 109km race in a time of 2 hours 51 minutes 26 seconds.

At the Rio Olympic Games, Adrian competed in the 137km women’s road race, but she was pulled off after about 110km and failed to finish the event.

VERA ADRIAN

Shooter Gaby Ahrens qualified for her third Olympic Games when she won the women’s Olympic Trap division at the African Shooting Championships in Cairo, Egypt on 29 November.

After a long and exhausting day Ahrens emerged as the African champion when she beat her closest rivals from Egypt and Morocco to the gold medal.

The final was a nerve-wracking affair and fortunes swayed to and fro between Ahrens and her Moroccan opponent, Mariem Rammah, but Ahrens finally won the contest 15-10.

On 7 August, Ahrens gave her best performance yet at the Olympic Games when she finished ninth

overall in the Women’s Olympic Trap competition and narrowly missed out on a place in the final for the top eight. Ahrens hit 23 targets in round one, 22 in the second and 21 in the third for a total of 66, which was one less than the eighth-placed shooter.

Australian Catherine Skinner won the gold medal, defeating New Zealand’s Natalie Rooney in the final.

Ahrens was the overall Namibian champion at the Namibian Shooting Championships and in May 2016 won the overall gold medal at the South African Olympic Trap National Championships in Cape Town.

She also won several gold medals at various national trials throughout the year, and has qualified for Namibian team selection at each trial.

GABY AHRENS

Beata Naigambo established herself as Namibia’s top female marathon runner over the past year, during which she qualified for her third Olympic Games.

She excelled on the international stage when she won the Valencia Marathon on 15 November 2015 for the second year in a row in a new record time of 2:26:58.

Her winning time was three seconds faster than the previous record set by Ethiopia’s Azalech Woldeselasse in 2013, and nearly four minutes faster than her own winning time in 2014.

It was also a new personal best for Naigambo, who took 30 seconds off her previous mark of 2:27:28 that she set at the Hamburg Marathon this year.

Naigambo finished well ahead of Kenya’s Janet Rono, who was second in 2:27:34, while

Morocco’s Malika Asahssah came third in 2:28:02.

With this achievement Naigambo also qualified for her third successive Olympic Games after previous appearances at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Naigambo didn’t compete much in 2016, due to her training programme for the Olympics, although she did win the 10km race at the Rossing Marathon in Swakopmund in February 2016.

In August at the Olympic Games in Rio, Naigambo was Namibia’s top performer in the women’s marathon.

She finished 41st overall in a time of 2:36:32, which was well behind the winner from Kenya, Jemima Sumgong who won in a time of 2:24:04.

BEATA NAIGAMBO


MTC Junior Sportsman of the Year

Herbert Peters distinguished himself as the top junior mountain biker on the African continent over the past year.

At the African Continental MTB Junior Championships at the AfrSki Mountain Resort in Lesotho on 1 April 2016, he won the gold medal in the Junior Men’s category when he beat Henry Liebenberg of South Africa by 27 seconds to the title.

At the same event he also won a gold medal in the Cross Country Team Relay Championships along with Costa Seibeb, Michelle Vorster and Tristan de Lange. On 1 July 2016 he competed at the UCI MTB World Championships in the Czech Republic where he came 53rd in the Junior men’s category.

A week later Peters competed at the Albstadt Bike Marathon in Germany where he won the u19 category and came 51st overall out of 2 500 cyclists. Peters made a clean sweep of the Namibian junior national titles, winning both the junior time trial and road race titles at

the National Cycling Championships in February 2016, and the junior MTB title at the MTC National Championships in July 2016. He also excelled regionally, coming first overall in the Spur Schools MTB League in Magaliesburg, South Africa in October 2015.

On 28 February he won the junior category at the Cape Town Cycle Tour MTB Challenge, and a week later he came 8th in the Junior Category at the Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Peters also excelled in triathlons. winning the FNB Desert triathlon in Swakopmund and the Xterra Lite Buffelspoort race and coming third in the Xterra Lite Nelson Mandela Bay race.

HERBERT PETERS

Delano Muller excelled in various sport codes over the past year, but his biggest achievement came in kickboxing.

In June 2016 he represented Namibia at the Battle of Atlanta Championships in the United States where he won a gold medal in the Mixed Martial Arts category and two bronze medals in the Crazy Fitness Challenge and Continuous Sparring categories. Muller also excelled at two regional competitions in South Africa in May 2016.

At the Jungle War VII International competition in Pretoria, he won two gold medals, and at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in Johannesburg he won two silver medals.

The 12-year-old Muller, who is the youngest black belt kick boxer in Namibia, also won a bronze medal at a senior inter-club tournament at Walvis Bay in August 2016.

Muller also represented Namibia in gymnastics at the Region V Gymnastics Championship in South Africa in December where he won a silver medal.

Muller won several gold medals in national gymnastics competitions in Namibia, including three Tumbling qualifying competitions, two Men’s Artistic Gymnastics competitions and a High Performance Level 2 competition.

Muller, who attends the Dolphin Elementary School at Walvis Bay, also competed in swimming and athletics, and broke the 400m and 800m records at the Inter-House Athletics meeting in 2016.

DELANO MULLER

Rowan Burger excelled as a karate exponent at the Japan Shotokan Karate Association (JSKA) World Championship that Namibia hosted for the first time at Swakopmund in July 2016.

Burger became a world champion after winning three gold and one silver medal at the JSKA World Championship.

Competing in the Male 15-year category, Burger won two individual gold medals in the Jiyu-Ippon Kumite and Kata categories.

He also won a gold medal in the 13-15 year Team Kata category, and a silver medal in the 13-15 year Jiyu-Ippon Team Kumite category.

Competing against more than 1 000 karatekas from numerous countries, Burger helped the Namibian

team to win the overall gold medal, finishing well ahead of second-placed South Africa and third-placed Scotland.

In April, Burger won three gold medals at the Shotokan Karate Swakopmund Open Tournament in Swakopmund in the 15-year old individual category, in the Jiyu-Ippon Kumite, the Shobu Ippon Kumite, and the Kata categories.

Two months later he once again won three gold medals in the 15-year old individual category at the Shotokan Karate Namibia National Championship in Windhoek, in the Jiyu-Ippon Kumite, the Shobu Ippon Kumite and the kata categories.

ROWAN BURGER


MTC Junior Sportswoman of the YearCassandra Knouwds became a world champion for the third time when she won a gold medal at the JSKA Karate World Championships at Swakopmund in July 2016.

She had previously won gold medals at the 2012 JSKA World Championships in Mexico and at the 2014 JSKA World Championships in Italy.

In Swakopmund, Knouwds won a gold medal in the Shobu Ippon Kumite category for 16-17 year olds, while she also won a silver medal in the Kata 16-17 year old individual category. Knouwds also excelled at numerous karate events throughout Namibia over the past year.

In October 2015 she won to gold medals at the Coastal Championships at Walvis

Bay, and in April 2016 she won a gold and a silver medal at the Coastal Championships at Swakopmund.

In June 2016 she won two gold medals at the Shotokan National Championships in Windhoek and in September 2016 she won two silver medals at the Namibia Karate Union National Championships in Windhoek.

Knouwds also excelled in cycling during 2016, coming second in the Junior Female category at the Nedbank Cycle Challenge in February, and 25th in the Junior Female category at the Cape Town Cycle Tour in March.

CASSANDRA KNOUWDS

Mayvonne Swart excelled at the JSKA Karate World Championships which Namibia hosted at Swakopmund in July 2016 when she became a triple world champion.

Competing in the 14-year-old category, she won one gold medal for Kata and two gold medals for Kumite.

Besides that, she also won a silver medal in the team kata category for females aged 13-15 years.

Swart also excelled at various karate competitions throughout Namibia over the past year.

Competing at the Shotokan Karate Swakopmund Open tournament in April 2016, she won three gold medals in the 14-year individual category, in the Jiyu-Ippon Kumite, Shobu Ippon Kumite and Kata events, while she also won a gold medal in the team event.

Two months later, Swart once again won three gold medals in the 14-year Individual category at the Shotokan Karate Namibia National Championship in Windhoek.

In September 2016, she won one gold medal in the 14-year individual Kata event at the Namibia Amateur Karate Union National Championship in Windhoek.

MAYVONNE SWART

Dunelle van Taak distinguished herself as one of Namibia’s top hockey players over the past year, during which she represented Namibia at u18, u21 and at senior level.

In October 2015 she represented Namibia’s senior team at the FIH Africa Hockey Championships in Johannesburg where Namibia came fourth.

Two months later she once again starred for the senior team in a Four Nations Tournament in Durban, scoring the winning goal in their historic 3-2 victory against South Africa, while Namibia also beat the USA to finish second overall.

In March 2016 she represented Namibia at the Africa u21 Hockey Championships, where Namibia narrowly missed out on a place at the World Championships after coming third

behind South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In August 2016 she once again starred for the senior team in their annual Test series against South Africa in Durban, where Namibia won one match, drew one and lost three matches.

Van Taak also represented Namibia in netball, making the Namibian u19 team that competed at the South African Schools Netball Championships in June, while she won the national schools hockey and netball league titles with her school team, WHS.

She also excelled at athletics, breaking her school’s 400m record and was selected to the Zone B athletics team.

DUNELLE VAN TAAK


NBL Sport Team of the YearNamibia’s women’s hockey team made history by beating South Africa and finishing second at an international Four Nations Hockey tournament in Durban in December 2015.

Namibia beat South Africa 3-2 on 17 December to record their first-ever victory against their southern neighbours in South Africa, while they also finished second in the tournament.

Namibia also beat the United States 3-2, but lost 2-1 to Australia to finish second in the group and qualify for the final against South Africa, where they lost 6-0.In August 2016, Namibia and South Africa played a five-Test series in Durban, and although South Africa emerged victorious, they were pushed all the way by Namibia.

The two sides weighed up evenly throughout the five-match series, with

South Africa winning three tests and Namibia one, while one was drawn.

Namibia beat South Africa 2-0 on 19 August, but SA won three tests 2-0, 2-0 and 2-1, while one ended in a goalless draw.

In October 2015, Namibia’s women finished fourth at the FIH Africa Hockey Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Namibia’s women won three matches against Nigeria (3-1), Zimbabwe (2-1) and Tanzania (11-0), but lost three matches against South Africa (5-0), Kenya 2-0) and Ghana (1-0).

By September 2016, Namibia’s indoor team had climbed three places to 14th in the world.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAM

Namibia’s Paralympic relay team made history on 19 June when they qualified for the Paralympic Games for the first time.

The Namibian team of Johannes Nambala, Ananias Shikongo, Aloysius Martin, Tobias Moses and their guides Even Tjiviju and Andre Oberholster qualified at an international event in Madrid, Spain when they won the relay event in a personal best time of 44,49 seconds which was well within the Olympic qualifying time of 45,00 seconds. The following month the Namibian team participated at an IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Berlin, Germany

where they once again won the gold medal in a time of 45,14 seconds.

At the Paralympic Games in Rio, the Namibian team came second in their First Round heat in a new African record time of 43,49 seconds - which was one second faster than their previous best time.

They qualified for the final but narrowly missed out on a medal when they finished fourth in 43,66 seconds.

Brazil won the gold medal in a new Paralympic Games record of 42,37 seconds, while China won the silver medal in 43,05 and Uzbekistan the bronze medal in 43,47 seconds.

PARALYMPIC RELAY TEAM

Namibia gave their best performance yet when they competed at their fifth consecutive Rugby World Cup in England in September and October 2015.

Namibia once again lost all their matches, but they gained their first-ever bonus point in a narrow 17-16 defeat to Georgia.

Namibia lost their other group matches 58-14 to New Zealand, 35-22 to Tonga and 64-19 to Argentina.

In June 2016, Namibia came third at the World Rugby Nations Cup in Romania, after beating Emerging Italy 38-26. It was Namibia’s second victory at the tournament after they beat Spain 34-32 and lost 20-8 to the eventual champions, Romania.

In August, Namibia successfully defended their CAR Africa Cup with an emphatic 60-22 victory against Zimbabwe.

After leading 29-0 at halftime, Namibia ran in a total of nine tries to complete a one-sided victory.

Namibia also beat Uganda 40-31 on 1 July and Kenya 56-21 on 16 July in the CAR Africa Cup tournament.

Against Uganda, Namibia scored a total of six tries, while fly half Theuns Kotze added five conversions, and against Kenya they ran in eight tries with Kotze converting all of them.

By September 2016, Namibia moved up one place on the Rugby World rankings to 20th in the world.

SENIOR RUGBY TEAM


FNB Most Improved Sportsperson of the Year

Johannes Nambala won two silver medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, while also breaking a world record in the process.

His first silver came in the Men’s T13 100m on 9 September. Jason Smyth of Ireland won the gold medal in 10,64 seconds while Nambala won silver in an African record time of 10,78 seconds.

On September 15, Nambala broke the T11 400m world record, but was denied a gold medal by Mohamed Amguoun of Morocco who beat him in a dip to the line.

Amguoun won gold in 47,15 seconds and Nambala silver in 47,21, while they both beat the former world record of 47,83. Nambala also starred at

the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar in October 2015, winning a gold and a bronze medal.

On October 26 he won gold in the T13 200m in a new African record time of 21,74 seconds and two days later he won bronze in the T13 400m in a season’s best time of 48,68 seconds.

JOHANNES NAMBALA

Mathias Hamunyela has developed into one of Namibia’s top amateur boxers over the past year, making his mark at continental and international level.

In January 2016 he represented Namibia at the Zone 4 Championships in Maputo, Mozambique, where he won a bronze medal after losing his semifinal fight. Two months later, Hamunyela

qualified for the Rio Olympic Games after winning a silver medal at the African Olympic Qualification tournament in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Hamunyela reached the 49kg light flyweight category final after beating Sibusiso Bandla of South Africa in the semifinals. Hamunyela, however, had to withdraw from the final after picking up an injury in his semifinal victory, but as

the losing finalist and silver medallist he also qualified for the Olympics.

At the Olympic Games in Rio, Hamunyela got off to a winning start when he beat Rufat Huseynov of Azerbaijan 3-0 in the 49kg category on 6 August. Two days later, however, he was eliminated in the Round of 16 when he lost 3-0 to Birzhan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan

MATHIAS HAMUNYELA

NBL Sport Team of the Year

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Coca Cola Coach of the YearTobias Hiskia has established himself as Namibia’s top long distance running coach, with several of his athletes excelling at home and abroad.

Two of his athletes represented Namibia at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In the women’s marathon on 14 August, Beata Naigambo finished 41st overall, while Mynhardt Kauanivi finished 70th overall in the men’s marathon a week later. The two athletes also excelled at other international events over the past year.

In September 2015, Kauanivi qualified for the Olympic Games when he came 13th at the Cape Town Marathon in 2:18:24, while two months later, Naigambo won the Valencia Marathon in a personal best and new record time of 2:26:58.

In April 2016, Kauanivi came second in the 21km at the Diacore Marathon in Gaborone, Botswana. At the same marathon, another one of his athletes,

Lavinia Haitope came second in the women’s 42km marathon and qualified for the Olympic Games with a time of 2:40:46, but due to the limit on athletes per country and the fact that Namibia already had three female marathon runners, Haitope could not go.

Hiskia’s athletes have also excelled in local competitions with Haitope winning the overall prize in the senior women’s category at the 2016 Victory Races series, while another one of his athletes, Leena Ekandjo came second overall.

In the senior men’s category, Kauanivi finished second overall, despite only participating in two of the four events of the series.

TOBIAS HISKIA

Michael Hamukwaya coached Namibia’s Para-athletic team that excelled on the international stage over the past year.

In October 2015, Hamukwaya’s athletes won one gold, two silver and one bronze medal at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar. Johannes Nambala became a world champion for the second time when he won the gold in the T13 200m. Two years earlier he had won gold in the T13 400m in Lyon, France.

In March 2016, Hamukwaya coached the Namibian team that excelled at the South African Open Championships in Bloemfontein, where they won six gold, four silver and two bronze medals. In June 2016, Hamukwaya

took a Namibian relay team to an international event in Madrid, Spain where they made history by becoming the first Namibian relay team to qualify for the Olympics. A month later he took a Namibian para-athletics team to the IPC Athletic Grand Prix in Berlin, Germany where they excelled by winning a total of 15 medals, consisting of 10 gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

In August 2016, Namibia’s Para-athletes excelled at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro by winning one gold, two silver and two bronze medals. Ananias Shikongo became Namibia’s second Paralympic gold medallist after Johanna Benson by winning the men’s T11 200m, while he also won two bronze medals in the T11 100m and 400m.

Johannes Nambala won two silver medals in the T13 100m and 400m.

MICHAEL HAMUKWAYA

Roger Thompson has developed into one of Namibia’s top rugby coaches over the past few years. He is the head coach of the Namibian u20 rugby team that came fourth at the World Rugby u20 Trophy in Harare in May 2016. Namibia finished fourth after losing 44-30 to Fiji in the third-place playoff.

Earlier, Namibia finished second in Group B after beating the United States 46-44 and Hong Kong 70-8, but losing 40-22 to Spain. In August 2016, Namibia once again qualified for the 2017 World Rugby u20 Trophy when they beat Zimbabwe 42-29 in the u19 Africa Cup final in Windhoek, after earlier beating Tunisia 64-0 in the semifinal.

Thompson was also heavily involved with the senior national team, acting as assistant coach to John Williams for the Currie Cup campaign,

and to Phil Davies for Namibia’s international campaign, with the highlight being Namibia’s participation at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. At the World Cup, Namibia lost all four its group matches, although they gained a first-ever bonus point in a 17-16 defeat to Georgia. This year, the senior team once again retained the Africa Cup when they beat Zimbabwe 42-29 in August, after they had earlier beaten Kenya 56-21 and Uganda 40-31.

In June, Namibia once again competed at the Nations Cup in Bucharest, Romania where they came third after beating Emerging Italy 38-26.Namibia also beat Spain 34-32, but lost 20-8 to the eventual champions Argentina XV.

ROGER THOMPSON


Coca Cola Umpire/Referee of the Year

Danie Koen is one of Namibia’s top rugby referees who has officiated at international level this year. He is one of only three referees in Namibia that holds a World Rugby Level 3 accreditation.

Internationally, he represented Namibia at the Africa Cup Sevens tournament in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2016, where he was rated as the top referee at the tournament. However, since Namibia played in the final against Uganda, he was not allowed to officiate in the final.

He also officiated as an assistant referee at the u19 Africa Cup tournament in Windhoek in August.

In 2016 he officiated as an assistant referee in numerous matches during the

Welwitschias’ Currie Cup q u a l i f y i n g campaign, and in August 2016 he officiated as an assistant referee at the u19 Africa Cup tournament in Windhoek.

At the end of October 2016, Koen will officiate as a referee at a Super Sevens tournament in South Africa, and in December 2016 he will officiate as a referee at the Dubai International Sevens tournament.

DANIE KOEN

Berthold Karumendu is one of Namibia’s top athletics technical officials and had a busy year officiating at home and abroad during 2016.

In May he was the chief technical official at the Namibia National Track and Field Championships in Windhoek, while he also served as a technical official at various Namibia School Sport Union events and regional championships. In June 2016 Karumendu served as a technical official at continental level when he officiated at the Confederation of African Athletics’

20th Senior Athletics Championship in Durban, South Africa.

A month later he obtained a starter certificate at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Starters Seminar that took place in Nairobi. He is currently the highest certified IAAF athletics official in Namibia and is always available to ensure that Namibia’s athletics competitions meet IAAF standards.

Karumendu is also actively involved in organising athletics events in smaller towns of Namibia, with the Karibib Half Marathon and the Omaruru Street Mile growing in popularity in recent years.

BERTHOLD KARUMENDU

JACKSON PAVAZA Jackson Pavaza has developed into Namibia’s top football referee over the past year, serving Namibia with distinction on the African continent. In November 2015, he officiated as the referee at the Fifa World Cup qualifying match between Nigeria and Swaziland in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

On 12 March 2016 he was the referee for the African Champions League match between Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and AC Leopards of DRC in Pretoria, and a fortnight later he was the referee for the Afcon qualifying match between Rwanda and Mauritius in Kigali.

In May he successfully completed a Fifa MA Refereeing Course in Windhoek, while he was

a key official at the 2016 Cosafa Castle Cup in Windhoek from 11 to 25 June.

He officiated as referee for the matches between Madagascar and Zimbabwe, and Angola and Mauritius, while he was a reserve referee for the matches between Seychelles and Madagascar, DRC and Mozambique; Botswana and DRC; and Swaziland and DRC.

In August he was the referee for the Hage Geingob Cup match between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, while he also refereed the Namibian Super Cup final between African Stars and Tigers in September.


Lifetime Award Lemmy Narib started playing football in 1959 as a 15-year-old at the Old Location for Ramblers, before going on to play for Try Again in Katutura.In 1963 he co-founded Orlando Pirates in Namibia along with Erlae Klaassen

and Hans Eichab. In 1969 he played for the central team against Kaizer 11, scoring 12 goals in three matches and was scouted by Kaizer Motaung. Narib however signed for Orlando Pirates in South Africa in 1971 where he played with

legends like Jomo Sono and Shakes Mashaba. He was a prolific goal scorer and is said to have scored 999 goals in his playing career which lasted 19 years from 1959 to 1978. After his playing career he established Black Pirates,

while his passion for youth development later saw him joining the Youth Football Programme. He formed the Lemmy Academy in 2007 before he joined the Collin Benjamin Soccer Academy where he worked with future national players

like Tenerius Lombard and Oswaldo Xamseb. Narib also became an integral member of the Khomas regional junior teams, with the Khomas u20 team twice winning The Namibian Newspaper Cup and the u17 team once

winning the Scorpion Zinc Cup. Currently he is still involved with Namibia Premier League club Orlando Pirates, while he has continued his passion for youth development by working with the youth in the Dolam location.

ISMAEL ‘LEMMY’ NARIB

23Namibia Sport AwardsNamibia Sport Awards 27 October 2016W

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