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Eddie Chikamhi Harare Bureau
This year’s edition of the Annual Sports Awards was awash with surprises and controversies. The results were received with mixed feelings in the sporting fraternity after bodybuilder Helen Sinclair Costa was unveiled as the winner ahead of boxer Charles Manyuchi and swimming icon Kirsty Coventry.

Costa was the surprise winner following an adjudication process by a panel of judges that is chaired by seasoned administrator Titus Zvomuya.

The women’s netball team was crowned Team of the Year while motocross rider Tanya Muzinda was named the Junior Sportsperson of the Year.

However there was serious debate as to who was the best between Costa who won two world titles in bodybuilding and boxer Charles Manyuchi or between the netball team that conquered Africa and the Mighty Warriors side that made history by qualifying for the bigger stage the Olympic Games.

Chairman of the judges panel Zvomuya defended his crew and said the adjudicators “exercised due diligence in coming up with the winners”.

The panel also included vice-chairperson Thembi Moyo, former Sunday Mail Sports Editor Godwill Zunidza, Sunday Mail’s Tinashe Kusema and Zimbabwe Aquatic Association’s Glenda Heard and Magagula who is the deputy director at Danhiko.

“We held a number of meetings as the judges’ panel. All of the meetings were very productive, progressive, even though heated at times. We were sometimes arguing in order to eventually agree,” said Zvomuya.

“For 2015, we were adjudicating the nominees as submitted by the national associations to the SRC and finally to us the judges. And finally to verify all the information submitted by the associations. We did not in any way nominate anyone as the judges’ panel.

“The criteria that was used by the judges’ panel we appreciate is the criteria that was agreed upon by all of us as the SRC as well as the judges’ panel.

“There were nominations of individuals and teams who excelled in their respective disciplines and were duly nominated by the associations that are registered with the SRC.

“We also received nominations from stakeholders and due diligence was done to make sure that information received was authentic and valid. Individuals and teams were required to meet specific criteria drawn for each respective categories as indicated by the SRC.”

Costa was rewarded for a successful season in which she won the IBFF Ms International Fitness Figure and Ms Universe Figure at the World Mr and Miss Universe in Italy, beating over 50 other competitors from around the globe.

It was a remarkable feat in that the 35-year-old become the first Zimbabwean female body building athlete to win on the international stage. She had also dominated the category on the domestic front.

Costa was at a loss of words following the announcement that she had landed the top gong on the night.

“The journey has been hard but there’re always people to thank and these are the people back home. Thank you for being family. I’m so grateful and humbled. Congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted. You’ve given me courage,” said Costa.

However, boxer Manyuchi who held the Sportsperson of the Year title, had appeared an overwhelming favourite. There was a brief silence when Costa’s name was announced as the winner.

The race had to be between her and Manyuchi after she had beaten another favourite Kirsty Coventry in the Sportswoman of the Year category. It came as a surprise to many. Boxer Manyuchi was could not hide his dejection.

“She won, I can say congratulations to her. She did well but I want people to know that Charles Manyuchi is a three times WBC world champion. I won the belt, I defended it and I defended it again in Italy.

“Now there is no challenger in Africa who wants to challenge for the ABU title. I defended it three times again. I am a national champion from 2006 up to date.

“I don’t feel embarrassed losing the Sportsperson of the Year award. Losing the medal, losing the belt and losing the trophy doesn’t matter. The only thing I’m scared of is losing my hand,” said Manyuchi.

The 26-year-old was this year hosted by President Robert Mugabe following his successful defence of the WBC welterweight title. Manyuchi stopped Italian Gianluca Frezza in the sixth round in Italy, in July.

There was also a heated debate over the choice of the netball team ahead of the Mighty Warriors.

The netball team was recognised for their exploits after they became the new African champions in a tournament that was played in Botswana earlier in the year.

Their coach Ledwin Dondo was also named Coach of the Year, ahead of rugby sevens’ Daniel Hondo and Mighty Warriors gaffer Shadreck Mlauzi.

The sticking point was that the Africa Women Championships netball tournament is of a lower rank compared to the Olympics.

However, one of the adjudicators said they considered the fact that the netball girls have managed to bring home gold medals while their football counterparts had just qualified for an event.

Dondo defended their team’s double honour and said the netball girls deserved their place in the sun.

“We didn’t look forward to this because all we’ve been hearing about were the Mighty Warriors. But we had a question that they had just qualified while we had brought home a gold,” said Dondo.

“I want to thank God for being bestowed with such an honour. It also required hard work because God when he had promised the children of Israel Canaan he didn’t give them on a silver platter. They had to toil to their promised land.

“So I’m happy for the girls for such a blessing. The hard work they put in has paid off, they made us proud. But what they made them more successful was that they were very disciplined. We camped in winter and every day they were up by 5:00am. It was difficult but they followed the instructions.”

The Junior Sportsperson of the Year award was also not without questions.

The category was won by motocross rider, Muzinda, who had also won Junior Sportswoman of the Year award.

Muzinda beat rising tennis star Valeria Bhunu, who won her maiden title on the ITF Women’s Futures Circuit at the Digicall F2 Futures tournament in November for the Junior Sportswoman award.

She also triumphed ahead of Junior Sportsman of the Year Kyle Hinde of rowing. Hinde qualified for the Youth Olympics in Nanjing in 2014 and World Championships in Chicago. He is also among the few athletes who have qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Muzinda on the other hand finished seventh at the FIM Motocross of African Nations Championships at Donnybrook and wrapped up her season by winning the Zimbabwe International Women Awards Sportswoman of the Year.