Golf prodigy Bekker scoops two Ansa awards

Sport
LOCAL female junior golf sensation Danielle Bekker was rewarded for a sterling season after she scooped two awards at the 2016 Annual National Sports Awards (Ansa) at Cresta Oasis in Harare on Friday night.

LOCAL female junior golf sensation Danielle Bekker was rewarded for a sterling season after she scooped two awards at the 2016 Annual National Sports Awards (Ansa) at Cresta Oasis in Harare on Friday night.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

Sports and Recreation minister Makhosini Hlongwane is flanked by Sportsperson of the Year Charles Manyuchi and Junior Sportswoman of the Year Danielle Bekker at the awards dinner on Friday
Sports and Recreation minister Makhosini Hlongwane is flanked by Sportsperson of the Year Charles Manyuchi and Junior Sportswoman of the Year Danielle Bekker at the awards dinner on Friday

Bekker won the Junior Sportswoman of the Year as well as the Junior Sportsperson of the Year accolades having come close in the last couple of years.

Bekker shrugged off stiff challenge from nine-year-old BMX rider Rebekah Oberholzer and rower Ciara Jessica Soper in the junior sportswoman category before wrestling the ultimate junior sports prize from Junior Sportsman of the Year, Karateka Beavan Sibanda.

“I was excited coming here tonight and getting the first award was very good and getting the second award I was over the moon, so it’s great, I love this. It’s my first time to come into these awards so I said to myself we are here for a few more years so let’s see if we can win tonight and I am here and I am surprised,” she said.

“My next set is to play better and get good scores. I will see when I get older how it goes, but I bet I will have a better picture of what I want to do with my career when I’m 17 or 18,” she said.

The 14-year-old member of the Zimbabwe ladies gold team won several events locally last year, including the Mashonaland East/West stroke play in January, the Matabeleland stroke play in February and the Harare provincial championships among others.

She finished a commendable third in European Championships in Scotland, fifth in the World Stars of Junior Golf in Las Vegas, USA in February, all in addition to a gold medal at the Junior African Challenge in South Africa in August.

Boxer Charles Manyuchi was the biggest winner on the night after he walked away with the Sportsperson of the Year award ahead of sportswoman of the year, Olympian rower Micheen Thornycroft.

Special Olympics golfer Munyaradzi Musariri won the Sportsman With a Disability award, while wheelchair racer Margaret Bangajena ruled the roost in the Sportswoman With a Disability class.

The women national football team, the Mighty Warriors was voted the team of the year as the Rowing Association of Zimbabwe received the development award and rowing coach Rachel Davies was named coach of the year.

Ansa Awards Winners:

Sportsman With a Disability – Sherpard Patrick Sportswoman With a Disability – Moment Bhebhe Sportsman of the Year –Charles Manyuchi Sportswoman of the Year – Micheen Thornycroft Sportsman With a Disability – Munyaradzi Musariri Sportswoman of Year With a Disability – Margret Bangajena Coach of the Year – Rachael Davies Technical Official of the Year – Lucky Mlilo Team of the Year – Mighty Warriors Development Award – Rowing Association of Zim Sports Administration – Zim Karate Union Women in Sport – Kirsty Coventry Special acknowledgment to Herald, NewsDay, Chronicle, ZiFm, SportsLine and StarFm