For the past year, sportsmen from across the Free State showed the world why some of the most prestigious sporting legends hails from this province.
At this years edition of the Free State Sport Stars awards, a new sportsman will wear the crown of Sportsman of the Year for their achievements on the track or field this past year.
The winner will follow in the footsteps of cricket champion, Gerald Coetzee, who won the award in 2023.
The sportstars event is presented by Central24 and the University of the Free State (UFS). Standard Bank is the main sponsor of the event.
- Nominees for Sportsman of the Year 2024 are:Robert Summers (badminton): Moving swiftly with the racket and ball, Summers won a bronze medal at this year’s African Games.
The 2024 Games took place in Accra, Ghana, where Summers was part of a men’s doubles pair. As a single player he made it to the round of 16 and advanced to the quarterfinals in the mixed doubles category.
Summers also competed at the All Africa Championships in Cairo, Egypt. Here he reached the round of 16 in the mixed doubles and the quarterfinal in the men’s doubles.
On home soil, Summers and his men’s doubles partner earned themselves a second place at the South African International Tournament at the end of 2023.
- Caden Kakora (badminton): In the last year, Kakora made sure that he filled up his trophy case nice and full. On an international stage, at the African Games in Accra, Ghana, he secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles and reached the quarterfinal in both the men’s singles and double’s rounds.
At both the Botswana International and Zambia International, Kakora won a bronze medal in the mixed doubles. At the Uganda International Tournament, he levelled-up and secured a silver medal in the mixed doubles. He achieved the same at the Kampala International Tournament. At the latter, he brought home a bronze medal in the men’s singles category. A gold medal was one of two medals he won at the South African International Tournament when he won it in the men’s doubles. Kakora also secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles.
- Barnard might be more advanced in years old(er) but has no problem in winning gold.
Not only did he win a gold medal at the 2024 World Archery Championships in the veterans bowhunter division, he also improved upon the record that had been set since 2016.
This year’s Championships was hosted in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. Barnard improved the longstanding record of 540/560 to 541/560. Barnard also bagged a gold medal as part of the South African Bowhunter team and a bronze medal in the Champion of Nations team category.
- Dane Piedt (cricket): A truer passion for one’s country is hard to find elsewhere. In an attempt to come into consideration for the South African A (SA-A) team, Piedt left his life in America to return to his beloved South Africa and become an option for the test cricket team.
Back in South Africa in 2023, situated at the Knights in Bloemfontein, he got the call – from America, informing him he qualified to play for their national team.
South Africa won the toss, and he impressed coaches so much during an SA-A match against the West Indies’ A side in November 2023 that he got picked for the Proteas in 2024 and represented his country throughout the year in two test matches – against New Zealand and the West
Indies.
. Three of these matches was against New Zealand and the West Indies.
- Mthi Mthimkulu (athlete): Mthimkulu made his mark this year when he and his mixed 4×400 m relay team won a gold medal at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) African Senior Championships in Douala, Cameroon. With a final time of 3:13.12, they also bettered Athletics South Africa’s (ASA) record for this race item that was set up earlier the season. The previous time was 3:14.97.
This athlete was also part of the mixed 4×400 m relay team that represented South Africa at the World Athletics Relays, which took place in the Bahamas earlier in 2024.
