Simoné Kruger and Mpumelelo Mhlongo win big at Regional Annual Sports Awards
The Regional awards recognise athletes, coaches, member countries, journalists and teams that have produced outstanding performances in sport at regional and international level.
Para-athlete Simoné Kruger will represent South Africa at the 2024 Paralympics. Picture: Jacques Nelles/ Eyewitness News.
JOHANNESBURG - Simoné Kruger and Mpumelelo Mhlongo won big at the 7th edition of the Regional Annual Sports Awards (RASA) hosted in Zimbabwe.
While fellow South African Akani Simbine was a finalist in the Sportsman of the Year category.
The Regional awards recognise athletes, coaches, member countries, journalists and teams that have produced outstanding performances in sport at regional and international level.
How it works is that each member state begins by hosting its own national sports awards.
National winners then progress to the regional stage, where they are considered for RASA.
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On Saturday, Kruger was named Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability, and named Mhlongo Sportsman of the Year with a Disability.
The pair were part of the 2024 Paris Paralympics team, which brought home six medals - two gold and four bronze medals - two world records, four Paralympic records, 14 African records and numerous personal best performances.
One of the medals was grabbed by Simoné Kruger in the Women's F38 discus, where she broke the Paralympic record and won South Africa's second gold medal with a throw of 38.70m.
In May 2024, the 19-year-old won South Africa's second gold medal and broke the world record in the women’s discus with a throw of 38.82m at the Kobe 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Japan.
Meanwhile, at the Paris Games, Mpumelelo Mhlongo set two World Records for South Africa.
In the Men's 200m T44 event, Mhlongo set the world record with a time of 22.62, claiming a bronze medal.
The T44 athlete was running in a higher category, and he set a new world record in the 200m at 22.62, breaking his Tokyo Paralympics world record of 22.81.
In the men's long jump T44e event, Mhlongo set the world record with a jump of 7.12m.
The Team SA flag bearer at the Paris Games dominated the men’s T44 100m when he won South Africa's first medal, a gold in a time of 11.12 seconds.