Sportsman of the year raises his title higher in 2024

Sportsman of 2023, Sam Nceba has made a name for himself in the Fourways Road Runners Club in Fourways in the last two years. Nceba joined the club in 2021 intending to better himself in the athletics industry. He started running in 2014 where he was testing his athletic abilities and started running officially in 2015.

According to the Craigavon resident, challenges are a norm when running. “Every runner can attest to this, the distance is known upfront but the challenges show up along the way. Either stomach cramps or stomach bug from starting too fast,” he said. Nceba told the Fourways Review how he has proudly run Comrades six times and finished five. “It is honestly not easy but the cheering I get from my family and teammates keeps me going until the finish line,” he said. “Good thoughts and distracting myself away from the run in my mind helps a lot. Sometimes I just look around and find something to pay attention to. Whether it is trees or people along the road cheering. This makes running a happy place,” he added.

On November 24, Nceba was voted sportsman due to his hard work and motivation to other runners. “I was voted by other club members to be their sportsman of the year. It felt amazing. I did not expect it, but I carry it all with pride,” he said. Nceba said going forward the aim is to continue enjoying his running. ” I would like to inspire more people to take up an active lifestyle. I want to improve my running time and train smarter,” he said.

“I still feel like I am in my 20s, but I am in my late 30s and this is one of the rewards of keeping an active lifestyle,” said Nceba. Nceba said as sportsman of the year, he looks forward to running daily and hopefully motivating one or two people to stay the course irrespective of challenges that they may face along the way. “I would love to encourage people to use running as their strength and a way to discover themselves,” he added.

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