Author: Adnaan Mohamed

By Adnaan Mohamed

The lights of the Sun City Superbowl burned brighter than stadium floodlights on finals day as South Africa’s greatest sporting warriors gathered for the 18th South African Sport Awards. It was a night that played out like a championship final, where medals were replaced with golden accolades and applause roared louder than any crowd.

Under the banner of “Celebrating Sporting Excellence”, the ceremony saluted those who lace up, line up, and lift up the nation through sheer grit and grace.

From athletes who’ve carried the weight of expectation like seasoned captains, to rookies breaking into the arena with the swagger of debutants who refuse to be daunted, the evening was a showcase of South Africa’s sporting heartbeat.

It was a relay between legacy and new blood, a reminder that the baton of excellence keeps moving forward.

And at the finish line of the night’s biggest honours stood Tatjana Smith, crowned Sport Star of the Year after swimming her way into the nation’s soul, and the 4x100m Men’s Relay Team, who sprinted into the record books, and into South African hearts, with their electrifying Olympic performance.

But this wasn’t just about the headline acts; it was about the unsung heroes in the trenches.

From administrators who set the playbook to journalists capturing moments like precision passes, from volunteers whose passion fuels the grassroots game to coaches drawing up masterstrokes on the chalkboard, each winner was a vital cog in the machine that keeps South African sport running at full throttle.

Here’s who made the podium at SASA 18:

Sport Administrator of the Year – Pholetsi Moseki (Cricket)
Recreation Body of the Year – Made for More Zama (Para Surfing)
Sport Volunteer of the Year – Phuti Lekoloane (Football)
Youth/Junior Sport Star of the Year – Simoné Kruger (Para Athletics)
Youth/Junior Sport Team of the Year – SA U19 Tug of War Men’s Team
Sport Visual Journalist of the Year – Roger Sedres
Sports Media Journalist of the Year – Palesa Manaleng
Technical Official of the Year – Ernesta Strydom (Para Cycling)
National Federation of the Year – South African Rugby Union
Sport Team of the Year – 4x100m Men’s Team (Paris Olympics)
Coach of the Year – Rocco Meiring (Swimming)
Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability – Simoné Kruger (Para Athletics)
Sportsman of the Year with a Disability – Mpumelelo Mhlongo (Para Athletics)
Sportswoman of the Year – Tatjana Smith (Swimming)
Sportsman of the Year – Alan Hatherly (Cycling)
Sport Star of the Year – Tatjana Smith (Swimming)

The evening was more than just a prize-giving; it was a huddle, a war cry, a collective fist pump for a nation whose sporting story keeps finding new chapters.

To every nominee and winner: your sweat is the ink, your discipline the pen, and together you are writing the playbook of South African greatness.

South Africa, take a bow. Your champions have spoken and they are, without question, #IzinjaZeGame.

By Adnaan Mohamed

South Africa’s running sensation Kabelo Mulaudzi once again lived up to his nickname of “Mr. Podium” by achieving a hattrick of victories at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K on Sunday morning.

The race drew an impressive field of 10 000 runners with participants gathering at the foot of the majestic Union Buildings to kick off the iconic race.

The 29-year-old showed why rivals fear his finishing kick when he edged Ethiopian challenger Asfaw Aklilu in a nail-biting photo finish that had the crowd holding its breath. Both men stopped the clock at 29:00, but the tape belonged to Mulaudzi.

It was his seventh consecutive podium finish turning the series of five 10km races across the country into his personal playground.

“Honestly, I didn’t know if I had won,  it was that close,” he admitted, still catching his breath. 

“But I’m thrilled to make it three in a row. I’m speechless. I’m grateful to win because this is what I wanted. In 2023 I was meant to win three in a row, but I didn’t do it because I came third in my third race in Joburg. So I’m over the moon,” he said.

For the Alexandra-born star, it was the final step in a perfectly executed hat-trick, adding the Tshwane title to earlier triumphs in Cape Town and Durban.

The win not only pocketed him R30 000 but also underlined his reputation as the series’ relentless pacesetter.

The Ethiopians, however, didn’t make it easy. Aklilu, in Nedbank colours, pushed him to the very edge, while compatriot Mohamed Abdilmejid surged in for third in 29:10. Mulaudzi welcomed the heat, saying it forged his best effort yet.

“The race was tough, but I embraced it,” he said

 “I’m proud of what I achieved today. So far, my season is going really well, and I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

What’s next is the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km on August 30, where Mulaudzi will once again be the man to chase.

“I’ve been chasing this hat-trick for a long time, and finally achieving it feels amazing,” he said. “Now I’m hungrier than ever. If I can win in Durban next week, it will make this season even more special.”

In the women’s race, defending champion Glenrose Xaba dipped under 32 minutes for the second year running as she stopped the clock in 31:50 to eclipse her own course record.

She was followed home by Kenya’s Rebecca Mwangi, who finished almost a minute later with a time of 32:41, while Selam Gebre rounded out the podium in 33:05.

“I’m happy with the result, and my body was responding very well,” said Xaba.

“The competition was strong, but the plan was to go through halfway in under 16 minutes which I managed to do. My message to all the young girls who are inspired by me is to keep pushing and to stay consistent.”

RESULTS: 2025 Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K

Date: Sunday, 24 August 2025

Start Time: 08:00

Start Venue: Stanza Bopape Street, Arcadia, Tshwane

Finish Venue: Stanza Bopape Street, Arcadia, Tshwane

ELITE MEN

1 Kabelo Mulaudzi (South Africa) 29:00, 2 Aklilu Asfaw (Ethiopia) 29:00, 3 Abdilmejid Mohammed (Ethiopia) 29:10, 4 Joseph Seutloali (Lesotho) 29:13, 5 Simon Sibeko (South Africa) 29:19, 6 Bennett Seloyi (South Africa) 29:22, 7 Pakiso Mthembu (South Africa) 29:32, 8 Namakoe Nkhasi (Lesotho) 29:37, 9 Chris Mhlanga (South Africa) 29:50, 10 Joel Mmone (South Africa) 29:55

ELITE WOMEN

1 Glenrose Xaba (South Africa) 31:50, 2 Rebecca Mwangi (Kenya) 32:41, 3 Selam Gebre (Ethiopia) 33:05, 4 Karabo Mailula (South Africa) 33:40, 5 Irvette Van Zyl (South Africa) 33:41, 6 Karabo More (South Africa) 34:03, 7 Cacisile Sosibo (South Africa) 34:37, 8 Carina Swiegers (South Africa) 35:15, 9 Zanthe Taljaard (South Africa) 35:24, 10 Florence Nyaingiri (Kenya) 35:30

Adnaan Mohamed

Every athlete knows the sound of breath burning in their lungs and the thump of feet pounding the track. But the cheers from the sideline are the voices that carry young runners, footballers, and netballers through the hardest miles.

adidas’ You Got This campaign has always celebrated that hidden heartbeat of sport. Now, in the fourth leg of its six-part series, the brand pivots from the podium to the people standing just beyond the ropes: parents, guardians, coaches, and friends who turn up in the rain, shout encouragement, and stitch belief into the fabric of every young athlete’s journey.

This latest episode takes us back to school fields where kids test their speed, stumble, fall, and get back up again. Here, the stakes are rarely medals or contracts. Instead, they’re measured in something far more fragile: confidence. And that confidence, adidas argues, often lives or dies in the stands.

“Go for it.”
“Have fun.”
“I’ll be watching.”

They may sound like throwaway lines, but research says otherwise. These words act like fuel stations on the marathon of youth sport. They refill tanks drained by expectation, replace fear with freedom, and help kids rediscover the joy of play.

Because the pressure is real and rising. According to adidas’ studies, 91% of children feel some level of stress linked to sporting expectations. More than 60% have considered quitting entirely. And between ages 13 and 15, dropout rates spike sharply. This is not from injury, but from emotional exhaustion.

That’s the crossroads where support matters most.

“Support can heal what pressure unravels,” adidas notes. 

A parent’s smile, a coach’s calm, a teammate’s nod becomes the difference between lacing up again or hanging up the boots.

South Africa, where this chapter is set, is no stranger to sport’s transformative power. From dusty township pitches to school fields edged with vuvuzelas, sport is stitched into the country’s social DNA.

It builds resilience as surely as it builds muscle, teaching discipline, teamwork, and the art of rising after every fall. But the pure joy of play, the carefree sprint down a touchline, can be eroded by the very people who love kids most. The scowls, the sideline tantrums, the scoreboard obsession. All this pile weight on young shoulders already carrying too much.

That’s why You Got This feel like it’s more than just a campaign.

Presence is what matters, not performance. When children know someone is in their corner, they’re far more likely to stay in the race, and to keep running long after school sports fade into memory.

The brand film at the centre of this episode leans into that truth. It’s not a glossy montage of golden goals or world records. Instead, it’s stitched from the quiet sacrifices supporters make: a parent pulling on a raincoat, a coach clapping after a mistake, a sibling waving from the stands.

These are the moments that echo longest in the minds of young athletes. The soundtrack of support that says, “You belong here.”

And for adidas, it’s part of a bigger picture. Sport has always been more than games. It’s a training ground for life. But if the track is littered with burnout, then society loses more than future champions; it loses generations of resilient, confident adults. Protecting play is about protecting possibility.

The message is clear: let children run their own race. Let them trip, stumble, rise again. Let the joy of movement outpace the weight of expectation.

The slogan You Got This is a promise and a reminder that belief doesn’t begin with a starting gun. It begins when a child looks to the sideline and sees someone clapping, smiling, and saying, “I’ll be watching.”

So, here’s to the true pacemakers of youth sport, the unsung heroes who keep showing up. They may never wear the medal, but without their cheers, half the race would never be run.

For more on adidas’ You Got This campaign, visit: adidas.co.za/yougotthis

By Adnaan Mohamed

In the high-altitude lungs of Johannesburg, where every hill feels like it’s tugging at your shoelaces, Ethiopia’s Selam Gebre found her extra gear and left a record field of 12,000 women in her slipstream.

At the season finale of the Totalsports Women’s Race at Marks Park on Sunday, she broke the tape in 33 minutes 27 seconds on a tough hilly route in ideal sunny weather conditions. The 23-year-old was rewarded with R30 000 for her efforts.

“I’m tired from my travels to Ethiopia and back and could feel it in my legs this morning,” Gebre confessed, catching her breath after a solo breakaway.

“There was one runner (Neheng Khatala) with me for a big part of the race. I just had to keep moving. She eventully runner got tired and dropped off. I kept going. The course was tough and hilly. However, I am very happy to be first today. It motivates me for my next event.”

For Gebre, who first joined the Totalsports series in 2024, believes it’s an event where women showcase their mileage of sacrifice and training.

“The organisers are very nice and always invite me to race,” she smiled.

“The Totalsports Women’s Race is special because it gives women the opportunity to show themselves and all their hard work.”

Trailing in her wake was Lesotho’s 10km record holder Neheng Khatala. The Hollywood Athletic Club runner claimed second, proving consistency is its own victory after completing all three races in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg this year.

 “I’m very excited with my second position today,” said Khatala.

“I executed the race very well. For the first time I did all three races. I am so proud of myself. I hope to do it next year again.”

Kenya’s Debrah Cherotich rounded off the podium in third, but it was local legs that drew the loudest cheers.

South Africa’s Karabo Mailula sprinted home in fourth, clocking a credible 35:09.

“It feels great to represent South Africa well,” said Mailula, who admitted the Joburg course is always a hill too honest.

“I didn’t know the course, but my teammate told me it was going to be difficult. I knew it, because Jozi is always difficult. I was aiming for a better time, but I think that I have improved. I am happy with the result, position four, it’s fine for me.

“The Totalsports Women’s Race is doing a great job… I can encourage other girls to come and enjoy the race. It gives the opportunity to all the ladies around.”

For organisers, this wasn’t just a race, but the exclamation mark on a three-city sentence written by 2025’s women runners.

“Congratulations to Selam Gebre on a well-earned victory,” said Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports.

“We also extend our sincere thanks to the 12,000 women who participated, the supporters who lined the streets, and our valued sponsors and partners who made this event possible for the entire 2025 series. The Totalsports Women’s Race continues to be a platform for unity, empowerment, and positivity and we’re already looking forward to what the future holds.”

Head of Marketing at Totalsports, Nikki Crous, echoed the sentiment, calling the Joburg leg a triumphant lap of honour.

“The streets of Johannesburg came alive as 12,000 women ran united in the final leg of the Totalsports Women’s Race. It was truly inspiring to witness the joy on route, a powerful reminder of the impact of celebrating women through sport. Here’s to the incredible women who continue to show up, lift each other up, and run with purpose. Until next year, keep running united!”

The Durban race on August 3 attracted 10 000 participants, while Cape Town boasted a whopping 15 000 runners on National Women’s Day on August 9.

And so, the curtain falls on the 2025 series, its footprints etched across Durban’s coastline, Cape Town’s mountain shadows, and Joburg’s hilly streets. For Gebre and her rivals, it was another chapter of sweat turned into triumph. For the rest, it was proof that when women run together, the finish line is only the beginning.

By Adnaan Mohamed

The streets of Johannesburg are about to turn pink, powerful, and pulsing with energy. On Sunday, 17 August 2025, 12 000 women runners, walkers, and warriors will flood the city for the Totalsports Women’s Race Joburg, the grand finale of a three-part national celebration of fitness, fun, and female strength.

Front and centre in this sea of determination will be two young athletes whose names echo with promise, Karabo More, newly crowned South African 5km champion, and Karabo Mailula, the 2025 USSA 10 000m champion. Their paths converge here, at the intersection of speed, spirit, and sisterhood.

For More, the race is about more than medals.

“Being part of an event that empowers women through sport is incredibly meaningful,” she says.

“It’s about celebrating women’s strength, resilience, and determination. Sport has the power to unite, inspire, and empower women of all backgrounds and fitness levels. It can have a profound impact on women’s lives by fostering confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of accomplishment.”

But make no mistake she’s also here to perform.

To the thousands who will lace up alongside her, More’s advice is as heartfelt as it is empowering:

“My goal is to run smart and finish strong. I look forward to running with the strong girls because they build my confidence, and as a young, upcoming athlete, it motivates me to be in the mix with the big sharks who have the experience. They’ve been there; they’ve done that. I just want to run my own race, and hopefully, I’ll get a personal best out of it.”

“By lacing up your running shoes and hitting the pavement, you’re joining a journey that transcends competition and celebrates womanhood. Keep your head up high and have fun. You’re a champion for starting and finishing the race. I’m proud of you, and remember, it’s all about you, so enjoy every moment.”

For Mailula, this will be her first time tasting the unique atmosphere of the Joburg leg.

“I look forward to trying out the Totalsports Women’s Race Joburg course,” she says.

“The Totalsports Women’s Race values women and shows that they are capable of participating in sport while maintaining their health and well-being. I’m excited to finish strong, stay healthy, and achieve good results. My goal is a top 10 finish.”

Her message to the masses?

“Enjoy the race and continue participating in events like these to maintain your health.”

For Totalsports, having these two Karabos in the same line-up is a perfect ending to a spectacular series.

“It’s fantastic to have two rising stars like Karabo More and Karabo Mailula lining up at the Totalsports Women’s Race in Joburg,” says Nikki Crous, Head of Marketing at Totalsports.

“As the final event in an inspiring series of three, it’s bound to be a race and a day to remember. These talented young athletes embody the spirit of the event  celebrating strength, determination, and the power of women uplifting one another through sport.”

The 5km and 10km routes are designed for every level, from speed-chasers to first-time fun-runners, winding through Joburg’s streets with music, colour, and on-route entertainment.

At the finish in Marks Park, the celebration continues in a buzzing race village, where Lady Zamar will bring her signature voice and soulful, empowering lyrics to the stage, adding another beat to the rhythm of the day.

And as always, the race runs with a bigger purpose and that’s supporting PinkDrive, the non-profit dedicated to breast cancer awareness, education, and free screening for those without medical aid. Every stride, every smile, every heartbeat on the day will help fuel their mission.

Cape Town to Host the 2027 World Mountain & Trail Running Championships

By Adnaan Mohamed

For the first time in history, the world’s toughest trail runners will chase glory on African soil. In 2027, the Mother City will be primed to deliver a spectacle of grit and beauty  where Table Mountain’s postcard views hide the sting of steep climbs, rocky descents, and the kind of trails that turn champions into legends.

In October 2027, Cape Town will be the heartbeat of global trail running. For five days, from the 6th to the 10th, the Mother City will host the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, the first time the event will set foot on African soil.

The backdrop? Table Mountain, its flat crown slicing the sky, will stand like a stern race marshal overseeing the battle between 1,200 elite athletes from more than 80 nations. Lion’s Head will twist upwards like a coiled trail, daring runners to keep pace. A limited-entry public race will also give recreational runners the rare chance to test themselves on these world-famous trails.

Behind the bid is Golazo South Africa, Athletics South Africa (ASA), and Western Province Athletics (WPA). 

Golazo CEO Bob Verbeeck sees this as a launchpad:

“It gives us a flying start in South Africa… We will offer participants the opportunity to discover the Cape region and further promote the area as a paradise for active sports enthusiasts.”

On the global stage, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe frames the event as a continental milestone:

“It is always exciting when a major athletics event is staged in a new continent for the first time… I have every faith that Cape Town will prove to be spectacular hosts.”

For WPA President Farouk Meyer, the victory in securing the bid is more than symbolic:

“It strengthens our commitment to grow all disciplines within athletics and gives trail running a powerful platform to thrive. Partnering with Golazo South Africa allows us to deliver a world-class event that will energise our local athletics community, boost participation, and create a positive ripple effect for Cape Town’s tourism economy.”

James Moloi, ASA President, sees it as a stride into history: 

“We look forward to working with all partners to ensure that this historic championship sets a new benchmark and reinforces Africa’s place on the global athletics map.”

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis warns the beauty of the stage hides its sting:

“There is surely no better backdrop… But runners should not be fooled by her beauty and her fame. Table Mountain’s rugged trails and steep elevations will pose a stern challenge to elite runners and mass participants alike.”

Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, calls it “the mother of all races in the Mother City”:

“Our city is right up there as a bucket list destination for runners… Crossing the finish line in Cape Town is always a moment to celebrate.”

For Ricardo Mackenzie, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, the benefits are twofold:

“This continues to show that the Western Cape Government is fast becoming the hub for major sporting events. Events of this nature bring a boost to our local economy and assist in creating many jobs. We can’t wait to welcome runners to our picturesque city.”

The joint voice of Tomo Sarf, Nadeem Khan, and Janet Ng, the presidents of the three partnership associations captures the shared excitement:

“The sensational views of Cape Town and Table Mountain will form a fitting backdrop… Cape Town has had plenty of success hosting prestigious international events and we are looking forward to enjoying the races and the hospitality of the Cape.”

Born in the 1980s as two separate championships, the event merged in 2021 into a biennial test of grit across four senior races: classic (up and down), uphill, short trail, and long trail. U20 and mass-participation races complete the line-up.

Austria’s Innsbruck and Stubai raised the bar in 2023; Spain’s Canfranc-Pirineos takes the baton next month. 

But in 2027, the world’s best will turn to Cape Town’s trails to test their endurance and technical abilities to the utmost over some of the most spectacular and challenging trail routes on the global stage.