Namakoe Nkhasi is line for Lesotho's top sports award... |
The finalists for next
month’s second annual Lesotho Annual Sports Awards (LASA) have been announced
and the main honour – the Sports Star of the Year – will be contested by
athletics stars with runners Namakoe Nkhasi, Jobo Khatoane, Nelson Khereng,
‘Neheng Khatala, Ntebaleng Letsela and Lineo Chaka in contention for the
accolade.
The national under-20 football team,
meanwhile, is also in line for a prize having been nominated for the team of
the year award after their fine performance at the 2017 COSAFA Under-20
Championships in Zambia last December where they finished second.
The Makoanyane
XI’s main competition for the award are national volleyball champions
Redksins who qualified for this year’s African Volleyball Championship after finishing
third at December’s African Zone 6 Club Championships in Zimbabwe.
The LASA awards were introduced by the Lesotho
Sport and Recreation Commission (LSRC) last year to spark the local sports
scene.
They are the first awards of their kind
and are voted by the public.
The preliminary voting to decide the
final nominees closed on January 19.
With the finalists now decided, the SMS polling
process will reopen until March 9 with votes updates every Tuesday.
“The awards are intended to recognise,
celebrate and honour individuals, teams, schools and national federations that
have excelled both on and off the field from January 2017 to December 2017,”
said LASA coordinator ‘Malitsietsi Zwakala.
All LASA winners will represent Lesotho
at the Regional Annual Sport Awards (RASA) later in the year which reward sports achievers from
the ten member nations of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 –
Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia
and Zimbabwe.
The LASA awards also have prizes for
other contributors such as the administrator, volunteer and journalist of the
year.
The ceremony will be held on March 17 at
the larger Manthabiseng Convention Centre after being staged at AVANI Maseru
last year. Tickets range from M300 to M350 and will be sold until the end of
February.
In 2017 the Sports Star of the Year was
won by Lesotho and Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies football captain Boitumelo Rabale.
This year the favourite for the award is
distance specialist Namakoe Nkhasi who etched his name into history last April
when he set a new half-marathon record at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in
Cape Town, South Africa.
Nkhasi, who raced at the 2016 Rio
Olympic Games, ran a brilliant time of one hour, three minutes and 35 seconds
(01:03:15) to defend the 21 kilometres title he also won in 2016.
Also in contention for the accolade is
the National Cross Country champion, Khatoane, and rising women’s star, Khatala,
who finished third at the South African Half-Marathon in Port Elizabeth in June
and the Free State OR Tambo Marathon in October.
The Makoanyane XI are in line for team of the year award... |
LASA Nominees:
Junior female sportsperson of the year:
Manqabang
Tsibela (athletics)
Reitumetse
Taioe (chess)
Malillo Phera
(chess)
Junior male sportsperson of the year:
Tšeliso
Masoenyane (taekwondo)
Koneshe Mojela
(athletic)
Teboho Lelimo
(chess)
Sportswoman
of the year:
‘Neheng Khatala (athletics)
Ntebaleng Letsela (athletics)
Lineo Chaka (athletics)
Sportsman
of the year:
Namakoe Nkhasi
(athletics)
Jobo Khatoane (athletics)
Nelson Khereng
(athletic)
Newcomer of the year:
Molatoli
Leshota (athletics)
Khabo Suiching
(taekwondo)
Koneshe Mojela
(athletics)
Administrator of the year:
Moses Kopo
(boxing)
Nomazondo
Seleteng (school sports)
Mokhosi Mohapi
(football)
Volunteer of the year:
Retšelisitsoe
Goodman (community sports)
Pule Rantseli (athletics,
equestrian)
Kamoho
Ramontsoe (school sport)
National Federation of the year:
Lesotho Boxing
Association - LeBA
Lesotho
Primary Schools Sports Association - LePSSA
Chess
Federation of Lesotho - CFL
Sports Team of the year:
Red Skins
Volleyball Club (volleyball)
Makoanyane XI
Football Team (football)
Leqele High School
Netball Team (netball)
Coach of the year:
Tšepo
Raletooane (volleyball)
Teboho Sello (athletics)
Mabuthile
Lebopo (athletics)
Umpire/Referee of the year:
Thabiso Snyman
(boxing)
Chakatsa
Lephole (netball)
Mamakebe
Moshoeshoe (netball)
Journalist of the year:
Nthako Majoro
(print sport reporter)
Chalale
Mokhethi (radio sport presenter)
Moorosi Tsiane
(print sport reporter)
Tšebeletso
John Tumahole (print sport photographer)
Thabelo Monamane
(print sport photographer)
Sports Show/Column of the year:
Public Eye (sports
column-print)
Moafrika F.M.
(sports show-radio)
Sunday Express
(sports column-print)
Lesotho Times
(print)
Sport legacy awards:
Seephephe
‘Mochini’ Matete (football)
Motlatsi
Ncholu (radio sport commentator)
Rantsubise
Matete (print sport reporter)
Sports Star of the year;
‘Neheng
Khatala (athletics)
Ntebaleng
Letsela (athletics)
Lineo Chaka
(athletics)
Namakoe Nkhasi (athletics)
Jobo Khatoane (athletics)
Nelson Khereng (athletics)
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