Cape Town - South Africa’s only nominee this year for a Laureus World Sport Award, wheelchair athlete and cyclist Pieter du Preez, is honoured just to have been nominated for sport’s most prestigious awards, to be handed out in a glittering ceremony in Berlin on April 18.
“Just being nominated is really a huge honour,” Du Preez, the first quadriplegic athlete ever to complete an IronMan, says on Wednesday’s episode of The Dan Nicholl Show, on SuperSport 1 at 19:00.
“You go and enjoy the evening, and anybody on that list who takes the award deserves it.”
Du Preez is as deserving as any of the other nominees: as well as two Para-Cycling World Championship gold medals, he was ranked world number one across a range of distances, broke numerous African world records, and won a number of marathons - including his fourth Berlin Marathon, a good omen ahead of the awards.
“Now it’s up to the guys who select the winner,” Du Preez says. “I just hope and hold thumbs that I can come back and do it for South Africa.”
This year’s awards nominees range from Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Lionel Messi and Stephen Curry, to Jordan Spieth, New Zealand’s All Blacks, Mick Fanning, and the United States’ women’s football team. The awards will be attended by a galaxy of stars, including Ed Moses, Cafu, Boris Becker, Sean Fitzpatrick, Cathy Freeman, Nadia Comaneci and Luis Figo.
Du Preez is joined on Wednesday’s show by veteran cricketer Pat Symcox, who recalls his lone Test hundred for South Africa, and reflects on the current state of the game; and comedian Jason Goliath, who lays claim to modest tennis credentials.
Click HERE to watch a Sport24 exclusive clip of Pieter du Preez on tonight’s show.
Click HERE to watch highlights of this week’s show.
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