Publications
Partners
Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi will be hoping to get another accolade when the winner of the annual Laureus Sporting Moment is announced on Monday 18 February.
The announcement will be made in Monaco during the Laureus World Sports Awards. The global awards honour greatest sporting achievements for past and present sport icons in various categories. The Zwide born flanker for the Stormers and the Western Province is vying for Sporting Moment of 2018. He is up against some formidable contenders, including Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir, who suffers Motor Neurone Disease, Xia Boyu (69), a double amputee who summitted Mount Everest after four attempts as well as seven other contenders. The winner will be decided by the public through voting, which opened on Monday 7 January. The voting process closes on Monday 4 February, where the top three be announced. Weir currently leads the voting with more than 30% of votes, with Bayo on more than 26% while Kolisi is sitting at more just over 20%.
Kolisi made it to the list after grabbing the Laureus Sporting Moment in July. He was recognised for his remarkable rise in the rugby field, following his appointment as the first black captain to lead the Springboks in a Test match, at Ellis Park on Saturday 9 June.
The fact that Kolisi was donning the number 6 jersey, the number famously worn by Nelson Mandela at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, just added significance to the remarkable moment for the Springboks and South Africa as a nation.
Kolisi’s story is one of overcoming adversity and succeeding against the odds. He was born in the township of Zwide near Port Elizabeth, and his young mother and grandmother struggled to put food on the table each day. “Times were tough when I was little and often there wasn’t food. I would go to bed starving,” Kolisi said.
The 27-year-old’s incredible rise from poverty to captaining his country is proof that with hard work and determination, anything is possible. “I don’t shy away from where I have come from and I’m aware that my story is a typical South African story in some ways. It’s my motivation,” said Siya. “Yes, being a professional sportsman can be tough and occasionally you question if it’s all worth it. But then I just think about where I’ve come from and about the people that look up to me.”
The public can go to www.mylaureus.com to cast their votes and view the 10 sporting moments.
