Kimberley born badminton player crowned UFS Sportsman of the Year

Robert Summers, the 20 year-old rising badminton star from Kimberley, has earned the University of the Free State’s Sportsman of the Year award at a gala dinner held in Bloemfontein last Thursday.

Summers, who is pursuing law studies at the University of the Free State, boasts an impressive resume as a badminton player. Earlier this year he was crowned the SA men’s badminton singles and doubles champion.

Summers was part of the 160-person SA athletics team that went to compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games which took place from July 29 to August 6 in Birmingham, England.

At the Commonwealth Games, Summers made headlines as a tough rookie who held his own against the Commonwealth Games elite athlete in badminton namely Singapore’s first world champion and representative at the tournament Lo Kean Yoh.

A snippet gleaned from a SuperSport report on his match against Lo Kean Yo read: “Competing on the show court at the National Exhibition centre in Birmingham, Summers acquitted himself with aplomb, challenging the Singaporean star with a fighting performance, particularly in the opening game. The 20-year old South African eventually succumbed 16-21, 9-21 but was hugely boosted by his performance”.

The athlete’s proud father Keith Summers favoured the DFA with the UFS’ authorised, short write up prepared for the awards which said Summers was among three athletes who walked away with the institution’s top awards last week. They were named: Robert Summers (badminton), Shindré-Lee Simmons (hockey) and Joané Gerber (long jump).

The other accolades under his belt include that at the All Africa Championships held in Uganda this year Summers won two bronze men’s doubles and team medals. He also won a men’s bronze medal at the Thomas and Uber Cup African Championships.