Sports Awards of the Year 2004-Female finalists give their impressions |27 January 2005
The interviews are in alphabetical order of the sporting disciplines being represented in the top 10.
Céline Laporte – athletics
BASED in France, Laporte, third place finisher in the 2003 edition of the annual awards ceremony, started the year 2004 with a heptathlon bronze medal at the Senior African Athletics Championship in Congo-Brazaville.Laporte, 19, who participated at the Athens Olympic Games as an invitee and ran the 100m hurdles, re-wrote the record books a number of times in 2004 over different distances and in field events. The heptathlete got records in the 60m hurdles (8.74 seconds in January, 8.64 seconds in February), the 100m hurdles (13.77 seconds in June, 13.71 and 13.70 seconds in July), long jump (6.27m indoor in January and 6.24m outdoor in June{equalling Beryl Laramé’s best}), heptathlon (5,477 points in May and 5,545 points in July) and high jump (1.73m in July).
Samantha Akatsa – athletics
YOUNG female sprinter Samantha Akatsa clocked 12.86 seconds to win the 100m gold medal of the Commission de la Jeneusse et des Sports de l’Océan indien (CJSOI) competition in Reunion in 2004.
She also teamed up with Nathanielle Cherry, Sabrina Laurence and Natifa Larue to clock a youth (under 18 years old) record time of 49.74 seconds in the 4 x 100m relay.
The 17-year-old could not be reached on Wednesday for her comments.
Juliette Ah-Wan – badminton
FOR the sixth consecutive year, Juliette Ah-Wan features among the 10 finalists. Sportslady of the Year 2002 Ah-Wan won two bronze medals in the team event and ladies’ doubles of the African Badminton Championship in Mauritius in 2004. “I don’t know what to say. The final decision rests upon the selection committee. I’m happy though to be among the 10 finalists,” said Ah-Wan who continued nursing a nagging knee injury in 2004.She participated in both competitions – Curtain-raiser and Closing Cup – organised by the Seychelles Badminton Association in 2004. She won the ladies’ singles of the Curtain-raiser competition and the ladies’ singles, ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles of the Closing Cup.Ah-Wan, 23, was runner-up to Sportladies of the Year Sophia Vandagne in 1999 and Jane Thélermont in 2002. In 2003, the three-time young female athlete of the year winner (1997, 1998 and 1999), finished fourth overall, while in 2001, she failed to win a place in the top five.
Shirley Etienne – badminton
WINNER of two bronze medals in the team event and ladies’ doubles of the African Badminton Championship in Mauritius in 2004, Shirley Etienne is making her second appearance among the 10 finalists for the Sportslady of the Year title.
Locally, 27-year-old Etienne was runner-up to Ah-Wan in the ladies’ singles of the Curtain-raiser competition but won the ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles titles.In the Closing Cup, she did not participate in the ladies’ singles but finished as runner-up in both the ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles.“I’m happy with my results achieved in 2004 and it feels good to be among the top 10. My expectation is not too high as I know that competition for the top five places will be among athletes chosen as first choice in their respective sports,” said Etienne, a 13-year veteran in the sport of badminton.
Vesna César – football
HER club team Dolphins failed to defend their League and Land Marine Cup titles in 2004 but Vesna César was the pick of the bunch as she was selected on the Seychelles team to participate in the Commission de la Jeneusse et des Sports de l’Océan indien (CJSOI) competition the country hosted.
She was influential in helping the Seychelles team win the gold medal of the round-robin competition which also saw the participation on Reunion and Mauritius teams.The 19-year-old footballer, chosen as the best for the first time, said:
“I don’t know what to say about who will be crowned Sportslady of the Year. I’ll wait for the final result and see if I can finish among the top five.”
Shrone Austin – swimming
OUTGOING Sportslady of the Year Shrone Austin had promised to retain the title minutes after having lifted the cup in the air on the night of the crowning of the best for the year 2003.During a 2004 season when she concentrated mostly on qualifying for the Olympics but failed in her quest, coupled with the non-availability of the Olympic-size pool at Roche Caïman for competition and training, Austin knows that such a feat won’t be easy. Fourth overall in 2002, Austin had this to say:
“I’m looking forward for the event and glad to be in top 10. Like I told Nation late last year, if I don’t win I’ll be back to claim it in 2005. I’m back in the pool and training hard for the 2005 season. If I don’t win, I’ll take the opportunity to wish the Sportslady of the Year good luck. It’s a great achievement to win the title,” said the 15-year-old.
In 2004, she participated in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, as an invitee. She took part in the 100m breaststroke clocking one minute 19.02 seconds (1:19.02).
Fatim Kanté – tennis
EVEN THOUGH she didn’t win any medal in international competitions last year, Fatim Kanté ruled the courts here in 2004, winning all four singles competitions she participated in.She was 3-0 against her twin sister Zenab in 2004, beating her in the singles finals of the Auto Equip, STA and Plantation Club competitions. Her fourth singles title came against Marie-May Isnard in the Coco d’Or tournament
The 18-year-old left the country earlier this month for Charleroi in Belgium for further studies at university level.
Jerina Bonne – volleyball
SPORTSLADY of the Year 1997 Jerina Bonne has been featuring in the top 10 for some time now.
Fifth place finisher in 2003, Bonne has said that “year after year, it is getting very difficult to judge who should be crowned the best and the other four in order of descendency. I’m happy to be among the finalists and this proves that I’ve remained consistent over the years.”
The 30-year-old rapid attacker won the Indian Ocean Club Championship (IOCC) title with Anse Royale in Mauritius in March 2004. She was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and won the best server title. In December 2004, her team failed to defend their IOCC crown, losing to ASPTT of Reunion in the final on home ground. Bonne still won the best attacker title.
On the local scene, she won a record 10th League championship title and the SVF Shield with Anse Royale.
Janet Thélermont – weightlifting
A six-time female weightlifter of the year, Janet Thélermont is a strong contender for the Sportslady of the Year title and when she was asked to comment on her chances of winning the title, she said:
“I know I’ll be in the top five and in the top three. I’m a 100% sure that I’m going to be the winner on Friday. If I’m not the winner on the day of the crowning, I will still tell myself that I deserve to be the winner.”
Sportslady of the Year in 2002, Thélermont was fifth overall in 2000, fourth in 2001 and runner-up to outgoing Sportslady of the Year Shrone Austin in 2003.
In 2004, Thélermont won a gold medal (clean and jerk) and two silver medals (snatch and Olympic total) in the 69-kg division of the African Weightlifting Championship in Tunisia.
Ranked 12th worldwide and second at both African and Commonwealth levels in her category, Thélermont, 26, also won three gold medals in the South African Open.
Locally, she improved her records in both the 69-kg and 75-kg categories in every competition she participated in.
Julie Matatiken – weightlifting
SHE featured among the 10 finalists in 2003 but failed to pin down a place in the top five. Julie Matatiken firmly believes in her chances this time, saying:
“I’m confident of making it to the top five this time. I know I won’t win the Sportslady of the Year title, but I’m positive about a top-five finish. I worked hard in 2004 and achieved some good results,” said the 24-year-old who broke a number of records in the 48-kg division during the 2004 local season.
At the African Weightlifting Championship in Tunisia in 2004, Matatiken won a silver medal (snatch) and two bronze medals (clean and jerk and Olympic total) in the 48-kg category.
Compile by G. G.