Latest news with #AfricanChampionships
The Herald
3 days ago
- General
- The Herald
KwaNobuhle boxers strike gold and silver in West Africa
Sport Oyisa and Vumazonke do SA proud in African youth championships Premium By Vuyokazi Nkanjeni - 28 May 2025 Two KwaNobuhle boxers excelled in earning gold and silver medals at the African Boxing Confederation (AFBC) Youth Men's and Women's Boxing Championships in Conakry, Guinea. The event which was contested over the whole of last week, saw Wanga Oyisa, 18, crowned the new African champion in his division, while Indiphile Vumazonke, 16, came back with a silver medal from his first international assignment...
The Herald
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
Nelson Mandela Bay cyclists excel at African champs
Sport Three part of team which came back from Egypt with gold medals Premium By Vuyokazi Nkanjeni - 22 May 2025 Three Nelson Mandela Bay professional cyclists were part of a team which struck gold at the recent Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme (CAC) African Track Championships held at the Cairo International Velodrome in Egypt from May 12-16. Brothers Brad, 27, and Kellan Gouveris, 31, Rhys Burrell, 18, and Carl Bonthuys, 29, from the Western Cape, teamed up to secure first place in the team pursuit...
TimesLIVE
20-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Soshanguve's Mothiba embraces being second-oldest player at Basketball Africa
His teammates call him 'Bra Neo' or 'Grootman', terms relating to him being a big brother and also as a sign of respect. At the age of 43, Made By Ball (MBB) player Neo Mothiba is a testament to the saying that dreams delayed are not dreams denied. The Soshanguve basketball star is still going strong and is not planning to stop playing any time soon — as long as his legs and body can still keep up with the pace of the game, he says. His peers, with whom he started his career way back in the early 2000s, are either retired, coaching or focusing on their daily jobs. But Mothiba is still adding more stripes to his impressive hooping career. MBB is going crazy before the game 🧨 Which one is your favorite ? #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) May 18, 2025 He recently made his debut for Johannesburg's MBB in the continent's biggest competition, the Basketball Africa League in the Nile Conference, which is ongoing in Rwanda. That made him the second-oldest player in the current BAL edition after Radhouane Slimane, 44, of Tunisia's Union Sportive Monastir, commonly known as US Monastir. 'It is a testament to the amount of work you constantly put in, I don't know how he feels [Slimane],' Mothiba said. 'I would have loved to play earlier in the BAL, but the opportunity has come. To be playing at my age and be playing with slightly younger guys means that anyone can do it.' With the kind of experience that comes with being around the South African basketball scene for almost three decades, it comes as no surprise that he is part of MBB's leadership group, which Mothiba embraces. Round 2 of the Nile Conference was something else! Here are your Top 5 plays from yesterday 👊 #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) May 19, 2025 'The presence with the team is with my leadership style, some of the guys gravitate to me whenever they need advice, be it basketball or personal,' Mothiba said. His basketball CV is unmatched in the country, and he also helps fight social ills in his community through his company, Beyond the Arc, which focuses on youth development through basketball. Mothiba is a former SA national team captain and has made appearances in the 2005, 2007 and 2009 African Championships, as well as the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. At club level, he has had stints for Pretoria Heat, Egoli Magic, Jozi Nuggets, Soweto Panthers and Tshwane Suns. He had the luxury of watching his current employers grow through the ranks of SA Basketball. MBB have progressed from a social club to a professional powerhouse. Now, together with MBB, which Mothiba joined in 2024, he is attempting to help his team qualify for the BAL playoffs in South Africa in June. As for his teammates, he has pressured them to deliver in the Nile Conference in Kigali so that they return to SA to compete in the playoffs on home soil. The SA team need to win two or three of their remaining games and construct a superior points difference. 'We wouldn't be human if we didn't think about that,' Mothiba said. 'Of course, it's being talked about within the camp, but the coaches try to make sure we don't think ahead and that we focus on the task at hand — making it through the Nile Conference.'
The Citizen
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘We must not get ahead of ourselves': SA relay coach Paul Gorries
All four of South Africa's sprint relay squads have qualified for the World Championships. Though he was delighted with the national squad's results at the World Athletics Relays over the weekend, SA relay coach Paul Gorries has cautioned that South Africa's sprinters will need to take another step up if they want to repeat their performances at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo later this year. In Guangzhou on Sunday, the SA men's 4x100m and 4x00m teams won gold medals, with the 4x400m squad setting a national record of 2:57.50. And the women's 4x400m team earned bronze, also setting a national record of 3:24.84, while the mixed 4x400m quartet finished fifth in their final. In the process, all four teams qualified for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo in September. 'I think the performances were exceptional. The first goal we set was for all four teams to qualify for the World Championships, which happened,' said Gorries, who earned 4x400m medals at the World Cup, the African Championships and the Commonwealth Games during his career as a sprinter. Early in the international season However, with southern hemisphere nations having already completed their domestic seasons, Gorries warned that northern hemisphere countries would peak only later this year and South Africa's relay squads needed to be on top of their game at the global championships in the Japanese capital. 'Going into Tokyo I think it will be a completely different ball game. America didn't bring in all their athletes (for the World Relays) but they will have full-strength teams (in Tokyo),' Gorries said. 'The one good thing going for us is that we've built momentum, and we need to keep that going. 'It's a good start, but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. We need to remain focused on the job at hand, which is Tokyo, because we're coming off the South African season so a lot of our athletes are sharper, but for other athletes overseas it's really just the start of their season. 'That said, I do think in the men's 4x100m and 4x400m events in particular we have the athletes who can compete. The 4x400m women have also stepped up, so things are looking good for Tokyo.' The SA team will return home on Wednesday from the World Athletics Relays championship.
Eyewitness News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
From Khayelitsha to the world: Fencing twins set sights on gold in Nigeria
Palesa Manaleng 9 May 2025 | 12:25 Blues Fencing Club Phumza Yantolo Phakama Yantolo Coach Patrick Collings, standing with fencers Phumza and Phakama Yantolo (identical twins) and Lexiy Lancaster, who make up three-quarters of the women's epee squad competing at the African Championships in Nigeria. Picture: Supplied. JOHANNESBURG - Phumza and Phakama Yantolo, identical twins from Khayelitsha, have carved a unique path in one of the world's most niche and strategic sports, fencing. As part of South Africa's senior squad heading to the African Championships in Nigeria, the sisters are not just representing their country but also continuing to inspire a new generation in an often overlooked sport. The 24-year-old pair who have been in the sport for over a decade, are aware of the responsibility, their involvement and success in the sport places on their shoulders, something which they have embraced. 'When I started fencing 10 years ago, I never imagined competing in bigger stages like the African Champs, Commonwealth Games and world Champs. Now, having achieved all that has to be my biggest career highlights. I now have young fencers who look up to me as a role model, and I'm just doing something that I love and enjoy,' said Phakama. South African fencer Phakama Yantolo. Picture: Supplied. The twins, along with Lexiy Lancaster make up three-quarters of the women's epee squad. Fencing has three squads- foil, epee and saber. All three blades have their own rules and regulations, such as where to hit the opponent or the length of the bout. Each weapon has its own characteristics, rules, and signature style. Like in chess, fencers try to think a few moves ahead of their opponents while anticipating a countermove. 'I like fencing because it's a unique sport that challenges me to strategic thinking. I got into fencing through Pentathlon, fencing was the first out of the 5 disciplines that I was introduced to, and I was very curious cause I've never seen anything like it before,' said Phumza. Phumza Yantolo(L) during a fencing competition. Picture: Supplied. The young fencers have helped SA win the silver medal in the women's Epee event at the U20 continental fencing championship. 'We've been members of the Blues fencing club since 2015. Joined the high-performance program that is run by my coach, Patrick Collings. It's a good program that recognises upcoming fencers and challenges them to perform at a higher level. With hard work and dedication,' said Phakama. The are looking forward to flying the SA flag high when they compete in Nigeria. 'I'm once again honoured to represent my country, hard work ahead, but I'm excited this is what I love and enjoy doing. Feels like a personal goal achieved, I'm happy and looking forward to it,' said Phakama about making the African champs team. Phumza and Phakama Yantolo, identical twins from Khayelitsha, at the 2024 African Championships. Picture: Supplied. Facts about the sport: The epee has a total length of 110cm, and its blade is 90cm long. The total weight of the weapon must be less than 770g. Like the foil, the epee is a thrusting weapon only, and the epee attack is with the point of the weapon only. With the epee, the target area is the entire body, head to toe, including any clothing and equipment. Unlike the sabre and the foil, with the epee, there are no right-of-way rules regarding attacks. Any hit which is made is counted. Hits are awarded solely on the basis of which fencer makes a hit first, according to an electrical recording apparatus. The sport is costly, with Epee blades costing R13,175, an individual mask R9,065, and women's individual breeches R8,330. The Blues fencing club is looking for equipment sponsorships for individual fencers, which amount to over R130,000 per athlete. 'Fencing can be made more inclusive by establishing community fencing clubs, creating clubs in townships and rural areas and providing access to facilities, equipment and coaching. Securing sponsorship and donations for fencing equipment, reducing financial barriers to participants, said Phumza.
