Sports Awards of the Year 2004-I’m prepared to make sacrifices to win a fifth title and possibly more - Julie |01 February 2005
Sports Nation: You’ve equalled another record held by former boxer Rival Cadeau (now Payet) by winning the Sportsman of the Year title a fourth time. What are your goals for 2005 then?
Allan Julie: Like I said before, when you start winning you always want to win. I’m happy to have won the title a fourth time but I’m prepared to continue working hard to retain the Sportsman of the Year title and set a new record of five wins. The results I achieved in 2004, an Olympic year, were very good and I rate them as some of the best registered in my career. At the end of the season I measured my results with those achieved by the other local athletes and I knew I had a good chance of winning.
In 2005, I will be going to Europe again to compete with the best in the world and I intend to improve on the results I achieved last year. My aim is to get better every year.
Sports Nation: How were you able to come back and reclaim the title you lost to Steven Baccus in 2003?
Allan Julie: The Sportsman of the Year title motivates me to go beyond my limits. It is the most prestigious award an athlete can win here. Early in the 2004 season I was so down after not winning it, but I told myself that I must get down to doing what I do best and show everyone that I’m a winner. I trained and competed hard in every competition I took part in. Even after having won the Sportsman of the Year title for a fourth time, I’m still prepared to make sacrifices to win it a fifth time and possibly more.
Sports Nation: Many people, including athletes, say that you will always win the title because you get the opportunity to train overseas and participate in a number of international competitions. What have you got to say about that?
Allan Julie: I’m not the only Seychellois athlete who has received Olympic Solidarity scholarships over the years. The others have not made the most of the opportunities presented to them, while I trained hard. I set myself goals each year and try to achieve them. The fact that I’ve received another interim scholarship for the year 2005 proves that I’ve not disappointed anyone, especially international sports bodies which have kept faith in me. As an athlete, I always give my very best, train hard and make a lot of sacrifices. I may add that I’m a winner today and that someone else many come along and receive the same kind of training. If he concentrates on what he has to do and perform well, he too can be a winner more than once. Then, there’s nothing wrong about an athlete who trains overseas winning the title. If he deserves it, then he should win.
G. G.