UP’s winners take it all

UP has long been considered Africa’s sporting powerhouse, nurturing some of Africa’s greatest athletes through the Tuks High Performance Centre. These are the winners who in 2022 reached for their personal best, ascended the medals podium and flew the TuksSport banner high.

Sportsman of the Year: Jovan van Vuuren

Those interested in a conversation about perfection should speak to the Bestmed Tuks Sportsman of the Year, Jovan van Vuuren.

He believes there is no such thing as perfection in sports. But saying that does not mean that he is not striving for it. Every time Van Vuuren competes in a long jump competition, it is with the idea to come as close as possible to that ultimate performance.

"To me, perfection is that chase to an ever-elusive goal. You can never give up. You’ve got to keep on going for it. It means striving to be better today than you were yesterday. That is how records get set," explains the master's student.

Van Vuuren certainly set some personal "records" this year: His breakthrough moment was winning a bronze medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, only the third time since 1994 that a South African long jumper has medalled at the Commonwealth Games.

Another definite highlight was his 8.16-metre effort during the Gauteng North Champs. It ranks him seventh on South Africa's all-time list for best performances. Internationally his 8.16 metres ranks as one of the 19th-best distances for the season. Van Vuuren went on to win the South African title as well. It is the first time he has done so.

Sportswoman of the Year: Michaela Whitebooi

Michaela Whitebooi's refusal to curb her dreams is why she received the Bestmed Tuks Sportswoman of the Year award. And deservedly so.

During the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, she won gold in the judo under48kg category, the first South African female judoka to win gold at a major international competition.

For Whitebooi, her success has been a long time in the making. Ten years to be exact.

Other winners

Benjamin Richardson, the Student Sportsman of the year, was a bronze medallist at the World Junior Athletics Championships.

Erin Gallagher, who won silver in the 50m-butterfly, is the Student Sportswoman of the year.

Rocco Meiring, whose swimmers won seven medals at the Games, is the individual coach of the year.

While she won various gold medals and titles all over Africa, victories in the rest of the world eluded her. She admitted that, at times, she lacked confidence. There were often tears of disappointment. But through every setback, her resolve never to quit strengthened. She never doubted that she had the makings to be a champion.

The first sign that things were changing was when she won a silver medal during the European Open Cup Tournament. "It was the confidence booster I needed as it made me realise my potential. I also realised after the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that my most significant drawback was a lack of international experience.

"Thanks to support from TuksSport, my sponsors and Judo South Africa, could attend more international training camps this year and compete internationally more often. This international exposure has helped me to trust in my abilities and am more confident when I step onto the mats. know now what need to do to win.”

Tuks hockey teams flick their way into the history books

TuksHockey made history when their women's and men's teams clinched Varsity Tournament titles within hours.

In the history of Varsity Sports, this has not been seen. The chances that men's and women's teams of the same university ever repeat this feat on the same day are slim.

Both Tuks teams had their work cut out to win. The women's team only secured their victory against Maties in the game's last two minutes. Fittingly it was the team's captain, Tegan Fourie, who scored the winning goal. The final score was 4-3.

The men's final between Tuks and Wits turned out to be a battle of the drag flickers. Every goal came from a penalty corner. Tuks's captain, Guy Morgan, and Brad Sherwood were phenomenal, never missing. Morgan scored a hat trick. The final score was 4-3.

The last time the men got to play Varsity hockey was in 2018. Tuks ended up being the champions.

According to Sigz Ntuli, the men's coach: "The final was an excellent example of how good Guy (Morgan) and Brad (Sherwood) are as drag flickers. They are world-class. Guy proved that during last year's Junior World Cup Tournament by being one of the top goal scorers. Bradley is a classic striker who can score in any situation.”