On Saturday in a match against Chippa United, Amazulu made history, scoring the winning goal and for the first time in its existence, clinching the first place position on the log.

With Luvuyo Memela scoring the winning goal from outside the 18-yard box, the team climbed to 50 points (for the first time ever) and sailed past the reigning champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Mamelodi Sundowns had already won the PSL title 10 times and is currently sitting with 48 points on the log.

The team’s dramatic turnaround came when businessman, Sandile Zungu, bought the team, handing over the management of the team to lawyer, Tsepiso Mofokeng and adding well-known players such as Siphiwe Tshabalala‚ Xola Mlambo‚ and Luvuyo Memela.

The last and most important ingredient to the team was the coach and that is when they turned to Benedict Saul McCarthy.

To understand the impact that Benni has had, one has to look at the history of Amazulu.

It had only managed to crack the top 10 three times, only managed to climb as high as 7 ^th place (back in 2012) and the last time it won a trophy was in 1992 when it beat Kaizer Chiefs to take Coca-Cola Cup title.

Since then, it had become one of the teams that were most likely to be relegated and had generally finished its seasons on the bottom half of the rankings.

Last year it finished 13 ^th place on the log, raking up 30 points, won only 8 of its matches, and got beaten 3-0 by eventual trophy winners, Mamelodi Sundowns.

This year, however, it had so far moved to first place, earned 50 points, won a record 14 matches, remains unbeaten in their last 16 games, and drew against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Although the draw was not the desired outcome, it did seem to have a mental effect on the defending champions.

While Amazulu managed to win 4 of its last 5 games (its fifth being the draw against Mamelodi), Mamelodi seemed to have struggled to regain its footing, winning only 2 of its last five games, drawing two, and losing one.

Being from Hanover Park, Benni is not known for keeping his opinion to himself, criticizing everything from the state of the football pitch to the unprofessional conduct of some referees.

However, when it comes to the team, Benni shows his humble nature by refusing to talk about himself and instead, choosing to praise his players and the rest of the team.

He has warned however that the team should remain humble because winning a game does not mean they will win the next.

He advised them that instead of thinking of the trophy or the next championship, they should instead remain focused on winning the next game.

Although it’s too early to say who is going to win the trophy, as has been shown during this PSL season, it is never a good idea to place your bets against the pride of Hanover Park, Benedict Saul McCarthy.

Check out the video below of Benni celebrating with his team and if you want to know more about Benni, check out his story by clicking here .

Usuthu Usuthu Usuthu pic.twitter.com/QO6Gxu0NOU

— #Majuba Magwaza (@MajubaMagwaza) April 28, 2021

The post Super Coach, Benni McCarthy, Takes AmaZulu to Number One Spot, Makes History appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

In 2015, the 19 year old from Graaff Reinet caused quite a stir when he stopped the clock running 45.42s over 400-metres in Potchefstroom.

As South Africa’s second-fastest 400 metre sprinter in 2015 (the first being Wayde van Niekerk), it was believed that Berend was a future champion in the making, especially given the fact that he was one of the few South African athletes that managed to dip under 45.50 seconds.

Things, however, did not quite work out as he had hoped.

His family was going through tough financial times which may have impacted his ability to focus on the track.

Berend had qualified to compete at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing but clocked a time of 46.52s during the heats.

Things had not gotten any better as time passed, not only with his athletics but also with his family’s financial situation.

In 2018, being a responsible kid, Berend felt that he was being selfish for focusing on his athletics and decided to quit.

He says that he got a job on a game farm in the Eastern Cape and despite it being tough, he kept at it because he wanted to help his parents.

He had not, however, stopped thinking about athletics and dreamed of running that one perfect race.

Last year, the national relay coach, Paul Gorries, came knocking at his door and told him “you don’t quit athletics when at 19 you ran 45.42s race in the 400 metres”.

This made Berend think hard about what he wanted to do with the rest of his life and he realised that this was a second chance to fulfil that dream of the perfect race.

Towards the end of 2021, at the age of 25, Berend joined Tuks (University of Pretoria) Athletics.

Being 25, he realises there is no time to waste and he has got to make every minute count when he is on the athletics track.

He is confident that he will dip under 45 seconds in the 400 metres but he is realistic about how tough it will be.

Berend explains: “It is fast from the start. I consider the first 50 metres to be crucial. Then the thinking games start. You can never afford to slack down, but you also don’t want to burn off too much energy too early. I prefer being in the second or third position after 200 metres. The last 150 metres is usually the moment of truth. That is when the battle between your brain and muscles start in earnest.”

Paul is also confident that Berend will dip under the 45-second mark.

“Berend now realises what life outside of athletics is about,” says Paul.

“I don’t doubt that his experience as a farmworker has mentally toughened him- motivated him. That is why I think he will dip under 45 seconds.”

Note: Edited from an article that appeared on the University of Pretoria website

The post Top 400m Sprinter, Berend Koekemoer, Returns to the Track appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

The awards form part of the ‘gsport4girls’ initiative, which was launched in 2006 with the goal of covering the daily sporting achievements of women.

The award itself aims to identify the female sportspersons who have contributed significantly to sports in general.

More specifically, the ‘social media’ award is given to “a woman who creates powerful online content about SA women in sport and demonstrates a convincing edge using Social Media”.

With a growing social media presence and brands knocking at her door for endorsements, it is most certainly the case that Jo is an emerging powerhouse in the world of ‘Influencer’ media.

She is also the recipient of several other awards which include the Cape Winelands ‘Netball Player of the Year’ award and the Stellenbosch University’s ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ award.

She also qualified for the under-21 South African Netball team and joined the Protea squad.

Last year, she completed her education degree at Stellenbosch University and hopes to go into teaching at some point, although it may be a while before she enters a classroom.

Right now, the midfielder is concentrating on making it to the World Cup in 2023 and since having signed up with a modelling agency, make a bit of money in the fashion world.

She is also committed to increasing the visibility of women in sport and hopes to inspire young female athletes to be the best that they can be.

The post Netball Powerhouse, Jo Prins, wins ‘Woman in Social Media’ Award appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

The coach has been nominated three times over the last three years and has only this year managed to clinch the well-deserved honour.

The awards form part of the ‘gsport4girls’ initiative, which was launched in 2006 with the goal of covering the daily sporting achievements of women.

The award itself aims to identify the female sportspersons who have contributed significantly to sports in general.

This is not her only award for the year.

At the beginning of 2020, she won the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) ‘Women’s Football Coach of the Year’ award, for the second year in a row.

Last year, Coach Ellis made history by becoming the only coach to lead Banyana to its first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification.

She is also the first South African to win the Cosafa Cup Championships as both a player and a coach.

The post Coach Desiree Ellis Wins ‘Coach of the year’ Award appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

However, the cold, wet and excessively windy weather did not leave him much room to perform at his peak.

To avoid injury, he held back and decided to take it slow, completing the race with a time of 47.42 seconds.

This finishing time however, would still place him in the top tier of 400m sprinters and virtually guarantees him a spot on the South African Olympics team.

His previous races for the year had been in the 100 and 200m, and he won these with times that would have put him in the top 10 at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.

Two weeks ago, he ran a 100m time of 10.20 seconds and last week, he ran a time of 10.10 seconds in the 100m and 20.31 seconds in the 200m.

These few races are part of Wayde’s recovery strategy and to prepare himself for the upcoming 2020 Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo.

However, the previous 400m record holder, Michael Johnson, warned that “expectations around Wayde should not be too high as it will be a huge challenge for him to be at his best in Japan”.

“It is mentally tough to stage a comeback in an Olympic year, especially when many of your rivals for medals are clocking really fast times,” says Michael.

Michael did, however, state that Wayde “is a special athlete who may not follow the normal patterns of recovery” and suggested that he may still have a chance of “winning another 400m gold medal”.

The post Wayde Races in First 400m for 2020, Wins Comfortably appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

Last week, running his first race on his road to recovery, he clocked in a hand-timed 10.20sec in a 100m race on grass.

On Saturday, he went faster than that, running the 100m in 10.10 seconds, a time that would have given him a top 10 finish at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.

The sprinter then went on to compete in the men’s 200m race in 20.31 seconds, a time that would have given him a top 8 Championship finish.

Both races on Saturday were electronically timed.

Wayde had been spending the last two years in recovery, after injuring his knee during October 2017 while playing a celebrity touch rugby match in Cape Town.

His rehabilitation included medical treatment in the United States, Qatar and South Africa.

The 27-year-old is expected to turn out again at the Free State provincial championships next week, where he is likely to compete in the 400m event.

The Free State race will be his used as an opportunity to qualify for the national championships, which is mandatory for selection for Team SA team for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The post Wayde Takes 100 and 200m in Dominating Performance appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

The record breaking 27 year old won the 100m race on grass with a time of 10.20 seconds.

Had he competed at the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships, 10.20 seconds would have placed him firmly in the top 20.

Of his winning time, Wayde said that he is “satisfied” and thanked everyone who assisted in his recovery.

Wayde’s winning streak came to an end in October 2017, when he damaged his knee playing a celebrity touch rugby match in Cape Town.

As part of his rehabilitation, he had to undergo medical treatment in South Africa, Qatar and the United States.

However, the previous 400m record holder, Michael Johnson, warned that it usually takes one season for an athlete to get back into shape, after missing out on two seasons.

He added that “expectations around Wayde should not be too high as it will be a huge challenge for him to be at his best in Japan”.

“It is mentally tough to stage a comeback in an Olympic year, especially when many of your rivals for medals are clocking really fast times,” says Michael.

Michael did however state that Wayde “is a special athlete who may not follow the normal patterns of recovery” and suggested that he may still have a chance of “winning another 400m gold medal”.

The post Wayde Wins First Race for Year in Preparation for Olympics 2020 appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

This is the second year in a row that she has received the award, having taken the honour in 2018.

Last year, Coach Ellis made history by becoming the only coach to lead Banyana to its first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification.

In 2017, she became the first South African to win the Cosafa Cup Championships as both a player and a coach; and in 2018, she guided the team to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

In 1993, Coach Ellis became one of Banyana’s founding players and when she became its captain in 1994, she led the team to a 72% win rate, winning 23 and drawing 2 of the 32 matches played.

The CAF awards ceremony was held in Egypt, at the Albatros Citadel Hotel Sahl Hasheesh, which is situated along the shores of the Red Sea.

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The post Desiree Ellis Wins Africa’s Women’s Coach of the Year Award… Again… appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

Born and raised in the Northern Cape, Jeff shot to prominence when he took the 55 ^th ranked Columbian doubles team of Juan Cabal and Robert Farah and turned them into a grand slam winning powerhouse.

This year, the duo became the top seeded doubles team in the world, after winning both the US Open and Wimbledon.

They became the first Colombians to win a grand slam title and only the second South American pair to be ranked first.

Of his appointment, Jeff says that he is “delighted to have accepted this role”.

“It is a great platform for me to give back to tennis in South Africa and to be part of the growth of the sport in our country,” says Jeff.

He goes on further to state that South Africa has “huge natural athletic talent” but “need to benchmark ourselves against the best in the world and then deliver on those benchmarks”.

Tennis South Africa’s CEO, Richard Glover, says that they “wanted to secure a Director of Tennis who has a proven track record of success at the highest level”.

“it is not every day you can sign up a current Wimbledon and US Open winning coach,” says Richard.

“Jeff is a great professional, a clever strategist and a fantastic communicator. We believe he will play an influential role in moving local tennis forward, both on and off the court.”

Jeff will still however be coaching his Columbian champs with Richard assuring tennis lovers that the combination of these two roles will allow Jeff “to network at the highest level of the game and help to build international collaborations”.

As the Director of Tennis, Jeff will be focusing on “five key areas”, namely:

1. Strategic High Performance Planning,
2. Relationship Building with local and overseas based high performance coaches,
3. Communication and Engagement with elite SA junior and senior players playing in the US College system and in various international tours, as well the parents, coaches and relevant specialist TSA Task Forces,
4. Planning and setting up a long-term structure for all national teams and squads and
5. Mentoring promising young high-performance coaches in South Africa.

The post Jeff Coetzee Appointed as Tennis South Africa’s First Ever Director of Tennis appeared first on Coloured South Africa .

Going a step further, the French recognised his skill on the rugby field on Monday evening at a ceremony when they named him the Best Player in the French Top 14.

Not satisfied with giving one award, they also awarded him the title of Best Top 14 Player at the World Cup, as well as the Try of the Season

This is the second time in the last month that the French has shown their appreciation for his remarkable skill.

Last week, they awarded him the title of World Player of the Year at the Oscars de Midi Olympique (better known by the English world as the French Rugby Oscars).

Prior to moving to France, he had been generally dismissed as being ‘too small’ for rugby.

However, thanks to the confidence shown in him by Stade Toulousain as well as his coach, Ugo Mola, he was propelled to sidestepping superstardom.

Appearing in the starting line-up, Cheslin helped his team clinch the Top 14 title and now aims to win the European Cup.

He promised the Stade Toulousain faithful that the team will work hard to win the Cup and they will play to make the fans and the club proud.

After the World Cup however, Cheslin is resting and has not appeared in a match since then.

Given that he has managed to win a World Cup, Rugby Championship and a Top 14 title in one year, he deserves a break.

The fans however, can’t wait to see him once again sidestep his way to the European title.

The post Cheslin Kolbe Wins Title of Best Rugby Player in the French Top 14 appeared first on Coloured South Africa .