2016 Sports Awards - Female finalists |19 January 2017
In yesterday’s issue, we gave you the top 10 male finalists for the 2016 Sports Awards, which will take place tomorrow evening at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort.
While the men have performed this year, the ladies have also put in some impressive performances throughout the year as they achieved some great results locally and on the international front.
Lissa Labiche, the holder of the title still has a chance of retaining it, but will have to compete against other former winners like Jerina Bonne, Clementina Agricole and Brigitte Rose, while the likes of Marielle Bonne and Alexus Laird will also be threatening to claim the award.
We now give you the top ten female finalists:
Lissa Labiche – Athletics
Reigning Sportswoman of the Year Lissa Labiche has once again been chosen as the top, dominating the female high jump scene locally, winning all five tournaments she competed in.
Internationally, Labiche won gold at the African Championships in Durban, South Africa with a performance of 1.85m, while she also claimed various wins, including at the Meeting Amitié Dellingue in France and the Germany Inter Club International Meet.
Labiche also finished 10th at the World Indoor Championships with her best performance of the year of 1.89m, while she was ranked 29th at the Rio Olympic Games with a performance of 1.85m.
She is currently ranked 47th on the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) world rankings.
“I am very satisfied with my performance in 2016 and very happy to have made it to the top 10. It is very difficult to rate myself in the top 10 and I will leave it with the jury, but I think the grand winner will be between Alexus, Clementina and I”.
Chantal Hoffman – Sailing
Chantal Hoffman claimed the female sailor of the year award in 2016 – a year that was capped with a silver medal in the Laser 4.7 at the African Laser Championship in Maputo, Mozambique, making her the African Laser female vice-champion.
Along with claiming silver on the continent, Hoffman also won silver at the Regional Sailing Championship in 2016.
Locally, Hoffman was dominant in the women’s classes, winning the SYA Laser 4.7 trophy, the National Championship, the Ace Marine Laser 4.7 trophy and also finished in second place at the Regatta championship.
“I am very satisfied to have been chosen for the top 10. I have done very well locally, regionally and internationally. Alexus has a clear chance of winning but I would be very happy if I make it to the top 5”.
Allison Hoareau - Sailing
Hoareau was named the runner-up to Hoffman for the best female sailor title and throughout the year she has proved herself as one of the top young female sailors in the country.
In 2016, Hoareau won the Cascade Slipway trophy and the Beau Vallon Regatta tournament, while she also claimed second place at the Ace Marine Laser 4.7 trophy, the SYA Laser 4.7 cup and the National Championship.
On the international stage, Hoareau won the bronze medal at the Regional Sailing Championships.
“I think I deserve to be in the top 10 as I have worked very hard as an athlete last year and I am very proud of my achievement. It is very difficult to rate the position I would come out. It will all depend on the jury. Lissa Labiche I think will be the winner. She performed very well last year.”
Clementina Agricole - Weightlifting
Although she missed out on the Olympics in 2016, Clementina Agricole was once again named the top female lifter of the year.
In 2016, she won three bronze medals at the African Championships, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Agricole lifted 77kg in snatch and then went on to lift 101kg in clean & jerk for a total lift of 178k, to finish in third place.
As Agricole has been training in the United States of America, she did not compete in any local competitions in 2016.
“I am okay with being in the top 10. I think I will come out in third position. Alexus, Lissa and then me”.
Debrah Servina - Athletics
Servina was the runner-up to Lissa Labiche as the best female track and field athlete, in a year where the shot put and discus specialist achieved some great results.
Locally, Servina won all the discus and shot put events she competed in, which included the Special Event tournament, the Open Season competition and the National Open Championships.
On the international stage, her best result was at the Mauritius National Championships where she won a silver medal in Discus with a distance of 36.40m and a bronze in shot put with a performance of 11.28m.
“I feel very happy to be in the top 10 because I worked very hard last year. I do not see myself as a title contender but would be proud with myself if I make it in the top 5. Clementina will win the title. She has worked very hard.”
Jerina Bonne – Volleyball
Bonne was runner-up for the 2016 best female volleyball player award, where she helped her club, Arsu, to winning the Women’s division one league, the Land Marine Cup and the SVF Cup locally, while on the international stage, she won the Zone 7 Club Championship with Arsu.
“It is a great achievement for me at this age to still be around as a top athlete and to be nominated in the top 10. It is tough for me to rate myself as a winner or any other position even though I know my fans will designate a position for me. I will accept any position decided by the jury,” said Bonne.
Marielle Bonne – Volleyball
In 2016, Marielle Bonne took over from her mother Jerina Bonne as the country’s top player. She helped Arsu to once again conquer all the titles including a third successive women’s CAVB Zone 7 Indian Ocean Club Championship title in Mauritius to bring their total to 10 – a new record. Marielle Bonne was named Most Valuable Player, best attacker and best receptionist.
Locally, Bonne won the Curtain-raiser, women’s division one league, Land Marine Cup and SVF Knockout with Arsu.
“I am very happy to be in the top 10. It shows all the effort I put in last year. I haven’t really followed other sports and I leave it to the jury to decide who deserves the title.”
Brigitte Rose – Judo
When we think of female judokas in Seychelles, Brigitte Rose is always the name that stands out above the rest.
Rose has once again been named the top female judoka of the year in a season where she competed in four international competitions. She finished fifth out of 12 athletes in the -78kg category at the African Championship in Tunisia, seventh out of nine at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and also finished fifth at the African Judo Union qualification. Rose is currently ranked 70th in the world.
Rose said: “I did not have many competitions this year, so I am happy to be in top 10 and maybe I could finish in 5th or 6th place. As for the winner, I think it will be Alexus.”
Alexus Laird – Swimming
Alexus Laird single-handedly brought Seychelles fourth place overall in the medals standings at the 12th African Swimming Championship in Bloemfontein, South Africa with four medals – one gold, one silver and two bronze.
Laird, who has only recently joined the South African club, Seagulls Swimming Club, took the women’s 50m backstroke gold medal in a time of 30.68 seconds and she was the only athlete under the 31-second mark. Her silver medal came in the 100m backstroke with a time of 1 minute 05.53 seconds (1:05.53). The backstroke specialist lost the 50m freestyle silver medal to Rowan El Badry of Egypt who got her hand to the wall just ahead of her with 27.02 seconds. She had to settle for third place with 27.03 seconds. Laird was third for the bronze medal in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:22.67.
At the 13th Fina world short course championship in Windsor, Canada, she improved the 200m backstroke record with a time of 2:17.71 in the 25m pool.
Unfortunately, Sports NATION was not able to get in touch with Laird as she is training overseas.
Felicity Passon - Swimming
Felicity Passon finished behind Laird in second place, but also claimed the young female swimmer of the year title.
Passon managed to set a new personal best time as well as win a silver medal at the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) Winter Championships in England.
Swimming for the Plymouth Leander Team, her silver medal came with the help of her teammates as they managed to finish in second place in the 4x100m freestyle relay with a time of 3 minutes 38.92 seconds. They lost the gold medal to the Co Sheffield team who clocked 3:39:82.
Her personal best came with a time of 29.05 seconds in the 50m backstroke event to finish 22nd out of 60 swimmers.
Passon was Seychelles’ best swimmer at the 13th Fina world short course championship in Windsor, Canada by pulverising five national records. In a mail sent to Sports NATION, Felicity noted:
“I am really happy to find that I am among the top 10. I feel last year I worked quite hard and it was a tough one. Though I have been unable to follow up with the sports in Seychelles, I think that athletes who participated in the Olympics have a greater chance of winning. Compared to successes from other athletes, I do not think I will make it to the top 5.”