Ellina Mhlanga Harare Bureau
ZIMBABWEAN boxer, Charles Manyuchi, was last night crowned Sportsperson of the Year, finally getting the recognition from this country that he has been yearning for.He beat four-time winner Cara Black at a function held at Rainbow Towers in Harare.
Manyuchi had been the favourite to win the award after a successful year that saw him winning the World Boxing Council welterweight title in March when he beat Patrick Allotey from Ghana.
He then defended the title last month in Zambia when he beat Colombia’s Devis Casseres.
And yesterday his efforts were rewarded when he was named the Sportsperson of the Year.
The 26-year-old becomes the second boxer to be crowned the Sportsperson of the Year after Langton “Schoolboy” Tinago who won the award in 1981.
Manyuchi, who fights under Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions early this month, said he was pained that his country does not value his achievements.
He said foreigners, like the Zambians, hail him as a hero.
Manyuchi was also named the Sportsman of the Year ahead of golfer Scott Vincent and Winston Nyanhete.
Last year, the welterweight world boxing champion finished second in the Sportsman of the Year race, behind karateka Samson Muripo.
Vincent had a good year as he made it into the Virginia Tech’s All-American team and was named into the 2014 Nicklaus Team.
The United Sates-based golfer, who is on a four-year scholarship at Virginia Tech University, set a college record with three individual victories for the season at the Golfweek Conference Challenge, VCU Shootout and Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.
Vincent went on to finish fourth at the Brickyard Collegiate and was twice named Golfweek Player of the Week during the fall and was selected the ACC Player of the Month for September.
Nyanhete won a gold medal in the male senior Under-67kg kumite at the Zone Six Championships held in June in Zambia.
Black was retained as the Sportswoman of the Year after beating golfer Yollander Mubaiwa and long-distance runner, Rutendo Nyahora, who were also vying for the same award.
The Zimbabwe top female tennis player had a good year with her doubles partner Sania Mirza of India by winning the Portugal Open.
They then claimed the Pan Pacific Open Championship in Tokyo in September and the BNP Paribas WTA finals in Singapore.
Rebekah Oberholzer from BMX is this year’s Junior Sportsperson of the Year.
Oberholzer made it a double as she also walked away with the Junior Sportswoman of the Year award by beating Daniella Cara Du Toit from rowing and Enlitha Ncube from athletics.
The Zimbabwe Davis Cup team was named Team of the Year after a fruitful year that saw them being promoted into the Euro-Africa Group II at the qualifiers held in Cairo, Egypt, in September.
Zimbabwe had been struggling to move away from Africa Zone Group III for the past four years.
However, the team featuring non-playing captain Martin Dzuwa, Takanyi Garanganga, Tinotenda Chanakira, Mark Fyn and Benjamin Lock finally broke the jinx when they beat Namibia in the promotional play-offs to earn the ticket into the Euro-Africa Group II.
The promotion means Zimbabwe can now host some of the matches starting with the Euro-Africa Group Two match that will see Zimbabwe playing against Bosnia and Herzegovina from March 6 to 8 in Harare.
The Sports Administration of the Year award went to the Zimbabwe Karate Union as they continued to improve the way they run their affairs.
Last year they came second behind Triathlon Zimbabwe.
National Darts Association of Zimbabwe won the Sport Development of the Year Award.