Kirsty’s triple crown

Sportsperson of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year Awards last night.
Coventry, who scooped four gold medals and one silver medal at the All-Africa Games, was duly rewarded by Delta Beverages, in partnership with Sports Commission, at a colourful event in the capital.
She takes over the Sportsperson of the Year crown from tennis ace Cara Black.
This year, the Olympic medalist, also took part in the Maria Lenk Brazil Championships and scooped three gold and one silver medal.
She took part in Setti Collin in Italy and grabbed a gold and a silver medal.
She further participated in the Mare Nostrum Monaco and got two medals capping a fine season ahead of next year’s London Summer Olympics.
Coventry has been crowned the Sportsperson of the Year before following her exploits at the Athens Olympics in Greece 2004 and the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games.
Coventry was also named the Sportswoman of the Year beating fellow swimmer Nicole Horn, who settled for silver, while golfer Claire Lyn Minter got bronze.
The night really belonged to the swimming fraternity as James Lawson was crowned the Junior Sportsperson of the Year.
The up-and-coming swimmer grabbed three gold medals at the South African Youth Championships, two gold medals at the Zone VI Youth Games in Swaziland and also swept all the first class medals at the Under-20 National Championships.
He also represented his country in the All-Africa Games in Maputo.
The junior swimmer got a double as he also won the Junior Sportsman of the Year beating BMX Mathew Denslow and rowing’s James Mackenzie.
Ultra-marathon runner Steven Muzhingi finally got due recognition when he won the Sportsman of the Year award.
Muzhingi won gold in the South Africa Comrades Marathon for the third straight year running and also settled for a silver medal in the Two Oceans Marathon.
He participated in the New York Marathon and finished in 33rd place.
However, it was surprising that chess master, Robert Gwaze, who won gold in Grandmasters in Russia, a gold in All-Africa Games, a gold in Hungary Challenge missed out on the big one and settled for silver.
Rising tennis star, Takanyi Garan’anga, who scooped a gold medal at the All-Africa Games in Maputo and won a silver at the Future Rochester USA and is ranked 1tth in Africa, came third.
Veteran wheelchair racing athlete, Elford Moyo, scooped the Sportsman of the Year award for athletes with a disability by beating fellow athlete Edmund Makutya and wheelchair tennis star Nyasha Mharakurwa.
Moyo scooped gold medals in races such as the City to City marathon, Spar Nkulumane, Mr Pace and the Danhiko Games.
In the Sportswoman of the Year category for athletes with a disability, wheelchair racing athlete, Margret Bangajena, scooped the award following her exploits in the Two Oceans Marathon, Binga race, Nkulumane Spar and the All-Africa Games.
Wheel chair tennis athlete, Munyaradzi Mamombe, scooped the Junior Sportsman of the Year for athletes with a disability by beating Shepherd Banda and Brian Mapfuvise.
Nyaradzai Tagarira won the award in the women’s category.
She beat Laina Sithole and Eniah Mandaza.
The Zimbabwe rugby senior national team, the Sables, who won home and away against Kenya and Uganda to capture the Tri-nations trophy, scooped the Team of the Year award.
The Mighty Warriors settled for silver while the national rugby Under-19 side won bronze.
Sables’ coach Brendon Dawson won the Coach of the Year award, a fitting honour for the way he helped his team find its feet again amid great expectations that they can qualify for the next Rugby World Cup in 2015.
Mighty Warriors coach Rosemary Mugadza came second while Under-19 rugby coach, Brighton Chivandire, was third.
Triathlon technical official Rick Fulton, who officiated at the ITU circuit in Mauritius and was the only African to pass an official course in Vancouver, Canada, won the Technical Official of the Year award.
He beat basketball’s Joyce Muchenu and swimming official, Cathy Lobb.
Zimbabwe Cricket underlined their status as the best administered sporting discipline in the country as they once again scooped the Sports Administration of the Year award.
It’s a fitting tribute to Ozias Bvute, the Zimbabwe Cricket managing director, and his team for the way they have worked hard to bring the national team back into the Test arena.
Their Stanbic Twenty20 cricket series, which brings in a number of high-profile foreign players, remains one of the biggest highlights on the local sporting calendar.
The awards of excellence that ZC continue to receive proves how much things have changed from the time when Bvute and Peter Chingoka, the ZC chairman, were targeted by some racists who spread the gospel that the duo was destroying the game. The judges praised the ZC for taking Zimbabwe back into the Test arena, submitting all returns, in line with the statutory requirements, and administering their business at their annual meeting in line with their constitution.
ZC also won the Sports Development of the Year award.