Sheldon Thomas was among the winners at the Gauteng Sports Awards at Silverstar Casino in Krugersdorp on Sunday night (01 October 2017), scooping the ‘Most Promising Athlete of the Year’ award. He is part of UJ’s Sports for Students with Disabilities (SSD) club, coached by Mrs Leanne Bruwer.
Sheldon Thomas received his senior national colours at the World Para-Athletics Grand Prix, Berlin Open in June this year (2017). He participated in the 100m and 200m (T13) track events and obtained gold medals in both – finishing the 100m in a time of 11.68 and 200m in a time of 23.34.
Thomas’s manager, Ms Lezanne Bruwer, says the future of para-sport at UJ is looking promising. “Sheldon has an unbelievable passion for the sport on and off the field. He is a visually impaired Para-athlete (track) and was diagnosed with Coats’ disease in 2015. Sheldon perceives his disability as an opportunity to show people that there is always hope. He is a true inspiration, he trains hard and is a role model for the future generations of abled and disabled athletes.”
Some of the other winners at the Gauteng Sports Awards included Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach Pitso Mosimane (Coach of the Year) and team captain Hlompho Kekana (Sports Personality of the Year), Tanita Ramburuth Hurt (Sportswoman of the Year), and Luvo Manyonga.
The Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, created the Gauteng Sports Awards to reward the Province’s sports stars for their efforts in keeping the passion of sport alive in the hearts of millions of South Africans.
