UJ’s top athletes with disabilities take part in the 2015 Gauteng Sports Awards

The University of Johannesburg’s top athletes with disabilities made a strong showing at the 2015 Gauteng Sports Awards.

The event took place at the Silverstar Casino in Muldersdrift on 11 October.

The institution’s para-rowing team claimed their second consecutive Sports Team of the Year Award, while paralympian Andrea Dalle Ave secured his first Sportsman of the Year with a disability title.

UJ Rowing Club manager Carol Blignaut said rowers were pleased and surprised to have won again this year.

She said the team deserves all of the accolades that they have received because of their relentless commitment to rowing, which is not an easy sport.

Blignaut said, “While it was difficult to single out individuals within the team, certain rowers had achieved notable success this season.”

She added that as the UJ rowers have had considerable success, coming fourth at the World Rowing Championships in 2014 and followed by a fifth place in this year’s competition, which took place in Aiguebelette, France, in August.

“Their performance at this regatta also allowed them to qualify the boat for the Rio Paralympics 2016,” she said.

Blignaut said, “This will be the focus for the team going forward, so they will spend the majority of their time during the next year on training camps.”

She said rowing was a relatively new sport for students with disabilities (SSD) at UJ.

“We hope that this award will create more exposure and get more students interested in signing up,” she said.

Blignaut was also nominated for the Administrator of the Year Award.