Zandberg Swimmer of the Year
06/10/2007 22:58  - (SA)  

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Johannesburg - Pretoria-based national swimming squad captain Gerhard Zandberg collected the Personality of the Year and Swimmer of the Year awards as athletes, coaches and officials were honoured at Swimming SA's Annual Aquatics Awards at Emperors Palace on Saturday evening.

In the Personality of the Year category, Zandberg, world champion in the 50 metres backstroke, came out on top in a public poll conducted via sms line and the national federation's website.

The other finalists in this category were 50m butterfly world record-holder Roland Schoeman, Soweto-based breaststroke swim star Thabang Moeketsane and disabled swimmer Natalie du Toit.

While Arizona-based Schoeman won the Best Performance of the Year award, for his world record set in Hamburg, breaststroke star Cameron van der Burgh and Cape Town teenage swimming sensation Jessica Pengelly, made trips to the stage for the Most Promising Athlete of the Year awards in the male and female categories respectively.

Striving to give their best

"From an awards perspective, the performances and efforts of persons were taken into account for the period of 30 April 2006 to 1 May 2007, and with the opening leg of the Fina/Arena Swimming World Cup to be held at the Kings Park Aquatics Centre in Durban on October 19-20, we look forward to witnessing our swimmers striving to give of their best in front of their home fans against a class foreign challenge," said Swimming SA president Jace Naidoo, whose father, the late Morgan Naidoo, was honoured posthumously with a Lifetime Achievement Award, for his contribution to swimming in SA.

Swimming SA 2006 Annual Aquatics Awards winners:

Learn to Swim Instructor Awards - Erich Harley, Penny Quinlan, Pamela Reynecke

Development Club of the Year - Umlazi Sharks

Administrator of the Year - Peter Thompson

Volunteer of the Year - Thomas Rabapane

Coach of the Year - Santa van Jaarsveld

Journalist of the Year (Print) - Thomas Ballantyne (Independent Newspapers)

Journalist of the Year (Radio) - Johann Rossouw (SABC)

Journalist of the Year (Television) - Samm Marshall (etv)

Special Mention Journalist - Maseru Koaho (SABC)

Most Promising Athlete of the Year - Male: Cameron van den Burgh, Female: Jessica Pengelly

Disabled Athlete of the Year - Natalie du Toit

Synchronised Swimmer of the Year - Judy van Niekerk

Water Polo Player of the Year - Ryan Bell

Open Water Swimmer of the Year - Shaun Dias

Swimmer of the Year - Gerhard Zandberg

Aquatics Personality of the Year - Gerhard Zandberg

Best Performance of the Year - Roland Schoeman - 50m butterfly world record in Hamburg

Lifetime Achievement Award - Morgan Naidoo

- SAPA

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