Johannes in line for top award

WINDHOEK – Namibian long-distance runner Hilaria Johannes stands a good chance to be crowned the 2006 Sportswoman of Year because of her exceptional performance during the year.

The awards function will take place on Friday at a Windhoek hotel. Last Saturday, Johannes won her umpteenth race in South Africa and established a Namibian record when she finished the South African 10 km championship in 32.11 minutes.Although the win will not be considered for the award, her previous wins between October 1 last year and September 30 this year could make her scoop the award hands down.Johannes has been nominated for the award together with top local cyclist Heletje van Staden, who is still a junior, as well as swimmer Danielle van Zijl and Hannelie Coetzee, who does endurance riding.Despite the ongoing leadership wrangles within Athletics Namibia at the moment, Johannes successfully defended her Old Mutual Victory Races title this year as well as the City-to-City 21 km race from Johannesburg to Tswane (Pretoria) in South Africa in under 70 minutes.Johannes ended third in the Spar Ladies 10 km race in Tswane (SA) and came out tops in the PriceWaterhouseCoopers 15 km Namibian Championship in July.She won the 10 km women’s race of the Nedbank Johannesburg City Marathon in South Africa and ended ninth out of more than 14 900 runners in the 2006 Britannic Asset Management Women’s 10 km road race in Glasgow, Scotland.She also won the 2006 Two Oceans Half Marathon (21 km) in South Africa as well as the 1 500 metres event over two legs of the IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Zimbabwe and Namibia.Johannes went on to win Namibia’s 16th Independence race and the 2006 Roessing Namibia National Champion over 10 km.In the men’s category, boxer Japhet Uutoni’s gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia could hand him the award once again.Uutoni, who won the award for his gold medals at the Zone Six and African Championships in 2005, fought with two broken hands to win the gold medal in Australia.Uutoni is up for the award against Commonwealth bronze medallist Friedhelm Sack (pistol shooting) as well as Mannie Heymans (cycling), Robert Honiball (gymnastics), Leonard Martin (karate), Alexander Ray (swimming) and Udo von Schauroth (endurance riding).There are also awards for the junior sportswoman and man, while administrators, umpires and referees will also be recognised.The sport with the best development programme, sports achiever of the year and disabled athletes will also be honoured.This year did not see a lot of exceptional performances from especially team sports apart from the Namibia women’s football side, which reached the finals of the Women’s Cosafa Cup.The Namibia national rugby side is currently on the brink of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup for next year, which would be another significant achievement for team sports.Despite improving their world ranking, the Brave Warriors still have a long way to go in their quest to qualify for the African Nations Cup.NampaLast Saturday, Johannes won her umpteenth race in South Africa and established a Namibian record when she finished the South African 10 km championship in 32.11 minutes.Although the win will not be considered for the award, her previous wins between October 1 last year and September 30 this year could make her scoop the award hands down.Johannes has been nominated for the award together with top local cyclist Heletje van Staden, who is still a junior, as well as swimmer Danielle van Zijl and Hannelie Coetzee, who does endurance riding.Despite the ongoing leadership wrangles within Athletics Namibia at the moment, Johannes successfully defended her Old Mutual Victory Races title this year as well as the City-to-City 21 km race from Johannesburg to Tswane (Pretoria) in South Africa in under 70 minutes.Johannes ended third in the Spar Ladies 10 km race in Tswane (SA) and came out tops in the PriceWaterhouseCoopers 15 km Namibian Championship in July.She won the 10 km women’s race of the Nedbank Johannesburg City Marathon in South Africa and ended ninth out of more than 14 900 runners in the 2006 Britannic Asset Management Women’s 10 km road race in Glasgow, Scotland.She also won the 2006 Two Oceans Half Marathon (21 km) in South Africa as well as the 1 500 metres event over two legs of the IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Zimbabwe and Namibia.Johannes went on to win Namibia’s 16th Independence race and the 2006 Roessing Namibia National Champion over 10 km.In the men’s category, boxer Japhet Uutoni’s gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia could hand him the award once again.Uutoni, who won the award for his gold medals at the Zone Six and African Championships in 2005, fought with two broken hands to win the gold medal in Australia.Uutoni is up for the award against Commonwealth bronze medallist Friedhelm Sack (pistol shooting) as well as Mannie Heymans (cycling), Robert Honiball (gymnastics), Leonard Martin (karate), Alexander Ray (swimming) and Udo von Schauroth (endurance riding).There are also awards for the junior sportswoman and man, while administrators, umpires and referees will also be recognised.The sport with the best development programme, sports achiever of the year and disabled athletes will also be honoured.This year did not see a lot of exceptional performances from especially team sports apart from the Namibia women’s football side, which reached the finals of the Women’s Cosafa Cup.The Namibia national rugby side is currently on the brink of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup for next year, which would be another significant achievement for team sports.Despite improving their world ranking, the Brave Warriors still have a long way to go in their quest to qualify for the African Nations Cup.Nampa