World-champion breaststroker Cameron Van der Burgh won a South African Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year today. Fresh off his 50 breaststroke win at the World Championships last summer, Van der Burgh bested soccer player Itumeleng Khune and cricketer Hashim Amla for the award.
Swimming South Africa was also honored with the Federation of the Year award despite taking some recent criticism over its punishment of backstroker Gerhard Zandberg. The other federations nominated for the award were cycling and hockey.
Butterflyer Chad Le Clos was also nominated for an award, the prestigious Sports Star of the Year title, which he won in 2012. This year the award (and the cash prize and new car that goes along with it) went to soccer’s Khune.