South Africa’s aquatics community came together at the Bombela Concession Company Annual Aquatics Awards at the Southern Sun OR Tambo on Saturday night (30 November) to honour the athletes, coaches and volunteers who excelled in the past season.
Pieter Coetzé was named Male Swimmer of the Year after a standout season highlighted by a trio of backstroke medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, including a memorable gold in the 100m backstroke. His performances, backed by multiple African records, reinforced his status as one of South Africa’s most promising Olympic prospects.
On the women’s side, Kaylene Corbett was awarded Female Swimmer of the Year following her breakthrough bronze in the 200m breaststroke at the same championships. It was a first major international medal for the two-time Olympic finalist.
Water polo also took centre stage, with Mitchell Garreau and Boati Motau receiving the awards for Male and Female Water Polo Players of the Year. Motau was part of the South African team that competed at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore earlier this year.
“To be given this is the highest honour. It just shows all the hard work that I’ve been putting into the sport and all the love, blood, sweat and tears,” said a thrilled Motau. “So I’m really honoured and grateful, but this isn’t only for me. It’s also for my family and teammates.”
Bailey Heydra was honoured as Diver of the Year after a season marked by steady progression. The US-based diver finished 29th in the 3m springboard event at the world championships and secured 14th spot in the synchronised 3m springboard event along with partner Zalika Methula.
Tayla-Jade van Huyssteen was named Artistic Swimmer of the Year, while African champion Callan Lotter and Connor Buck were honoured as the female and male Open Water Swimmers of the Year.
Kris Mihaylov was recognised as Most Promising Athlete of the Year, after storming to 200m butterfly gold at the World Junior Championships in Romania earlier in the year.
“I’m honoured and grateful. We’ve worked hard so I’m just happy to reflect that and see how far I’ve come,” said Mihaylov.
Speaking about his podium-topping performance in Romania, the 18-year-old added: “It was surreal. It’s something you’ve dreamed of when you were a little kid but at the end of the day it’s actually just the start, and this is just a great motivating factor for me and more will come for sure.”
The hotly contested Aquatics Personality of the Year, which was decided by public vote, went to Para swimmer Aaron Putz, who edged out Heydra and Erin Gallagher for the award.
After a year marked by several more world-record performances, Minke Janse van Rensburg was named Female Para Swimmer of the Year, while Christian Sadie was awarded the Male Para Swimmer of the Year accolade after returning from the World Para Swimming Championships with a silver and two bronze medals, along with several new continental records.
Meanwhile, Rocco Meiring was named Coach of the Year after guiding both Coetzé and Corbett to global medal performances. Meiring’s efforts at the University of Pretoria continue to provide a major contribution towards South Africa’s high-performance pipeline, with TUKS also being named Club of the Year.
“I’m humbled. As I said, I’m not the coach of the year. I’m representing a coaching staff that are as much part of the award as anybody else,” said Meiring afterwards.
“I’m very happy for the swimmers. We haven’t had a Swimming South Africa awards ceremony for many years and I think that’s important for the swimmers to be acknowledged, especially by their own federation and that’s a very important aspect that I think they’ve done well,” added Meiring whose focus in the new year for his high-performance swimmers will be the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Fish Eagles, led by Gail Bohler, earned Club Development of the Year for their impact in community-driven programmes while additional honours were presented to the administrators, instructors, volunteers and media professionals who made an invaluable contribution to the sport in the last year.
CEO of Bombela Concession Company, André van Rensburg, said: “At Bombela, we believe that success is most meaningful when it is shared. That is why we are the proud title sponsor of Swimming South Africa – supporting the development of young athletes and the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles across the country.
“Together, we are investing in a future where talent is recognised, communities are uplifted, and every young swimmer has the opportunity to dream boldly and achieve confidently. We are keenly following your progress and look forward to sharing in the many victories still to come.
“In saying that, we also recognise the tremendous effort of the team behind these athletes, from the administration to the coaches. Without this team, there can be no victories. We have come to know many of them personally and we are inspired by their dedication and passion for this sport.”
President of Swimming South Africa Alan Fritz added: “The resumption of the Swimming South Africa Bombela Concession Company Annual Awards is a fundamental that underpins the success of the federation.
“The past year has undoubtedly been the best season of SSA since our re-admission into world sports in 1992. Our athletes are most certainly leading the country’s charges for podium performances regionally, continentally, internationally, and at the pinnacle of sport, the Olympic Games.
“The Annual Awards are about recognising those who strive for excellence in the pool and administratively. Swimming South Africa salutes all recipients of awards. Our goal is to create an environment that allows them to achieve even greater performances.
“Bombela Concession Company’s partnership with SSA is a clear alignment of organisational goals and values, and we are extremely proud of what we have achieved together as a federation and a corporate sponsor.”
Award winners:
- Male Swimmer of the Year: Pieter Coetzé
- Female Swimmer of the Year: Kaylene Corbett
- Aquatics Personality of the Year: Aaron Putz
- Male Para Swimmer of the Year: Christian Sadie
- Female Para Swimmer of the Year: Minke Janse van Rensburg
- Female Water Polo Player of the Year: Boati Motau
- Male Water Polo Player of the Year: Mitchell Garreau
- Diver of the Year: Bailey Heydra
- Artistic Swimmer of the Year: Tayla-Jade van Huyssteen
- Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year: Connor Buck
- Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year: Callan Lotter
- Coach of the Year: Rocco Meiring
- Junior Coach of the Year: David Glover
- Club of the Year: TUKS
- Most Promising Athlete of the Year: Kris Mihaylov
- Administrator of the Year: Janet van Huyssteen
- Club Development of the Year: Fish Eagles (Gail Bohler)
- Instructor of the Year: Vani Govender
- Volunteer of the Year: Princess Xaba
- Journalists of the Year: David Isaacson (Print), Ongeziwe Mjana (Radio), Siphokazi Malinga (TV)
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