Athletics: IAAF World Youth Championships-Renaud and Etienne to rub shoulders with world best |08 July 2005

The championships being the biggest competition they will participate in in their young career, one-lap runner Renaud and high jumper Etienne hope to use them as a springboard for top class future performances.

The two young men leave this coming Sunday together with coach Giovanni Fanny. They will travel to Marrakesh via Paris, France.

A third athlete, female sprinter Sabrina Laurence, was also expected to compete in the biennial championships but the Seychelles Amateur Athletics Federation (SAAF) had to withdraw her participation at the last minute with a muscle strain which is likely to keep her out of competition for at least three months.

Laurence, it is worth noting, had clocked a new Seychelles youth record in the 200 metres with a time of 26.18 seconds during the African Athletics Confederation (AAC) Southern Region Youth Track and Field Championship at the Pilditch Stadium in the South African capital Tswane (formerly Pretoria), last month.

Both Renaud and Etienne, two of Seychelles’ most promising athletes, beat the championships qualifiers and expect to improve their personal bests in Marrakesh.

The entry height for the boys’ high jump is 1.98 metres and Etienne cleared the bar at 2 metres and then holds a personal best height of 2.05 metres in two local competitions last month.

Also during last month’s AAC Southern Region Youth Track and Field Championship in South Africa, Etienne won the high jump silver medal with a bar of 1.95 metres.

It is to note that Etienne, 17, was the high jump gold medallist of the Lekip Sport Southern Region Cadet Championship and triple jump bronze medallist of the Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan indien (CJSOI) athletics competition last year.

In Marrakesh, Etienne will compete in the qualifiers on Thursday July 14 for a place in the final on Saturday July 16.

Renaud, 16, showed his ability in the long sprint during the 29th annual Inter-School Athletics Championship on June 29, improving Marvis Confait’s 400m record of 50.2 seconds with a new best time of 49.9 seconds.

Gold medallist over 400 metres during last year’s Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan indien (CJSOI) athletics competition in Reunion, Renaud stopped the clock at 49.65 seconds for fifth place during last month’s AAC Southern Region Youth Track and Field Championship in South Africa.

Renaud’s personal bests in the one-lap race are 49.9 seconds (hand timing) and 49.65 seconds (electronic timing).

The entry standards for the event had been set at 50.50 seconds (electronic timing) and 50.4 seconds (hand timing).

The heats for the 400 metres have been scheduled for the first day of the championships (Wednesday July 13), followed by the semifinals and the final on Thursday and Friday July 14 and 15.

The Seychelles delegation is expected back on Wednesday July 20.
Seychelles had participated in two previous editions of the IAAF World Youth Championships.

The first time was during the inaugural edition in Bydgoszcz, Poland (in 1999) and the Seychellois participants were Eddy Lozaique and Selwyn Beauchamp.

In Debrecen, Hungary, in 2001, former Sportslady of the Year Helda Marie competed in the shot putt throw event, Dave Dick took part in the 100m and Marvis Confait participated in the 400m hurdles and 110m hurdles.

Seychelles did not participate in the third edition of the championship in Sherbrooke, Canada, in 2003.

A record 178 IAAF member federations are to participate in the championships reserved for athletes who are under 18 years of age. The previous record was 159 participating teams in Debrecen, Hungary in 2001.

Following the record participation, IAAF President Lamine Diack has said “I am delighted to hear that we have broken our previous participation record for this event, and this shows that the "World Youth" has become increasingly popular amongst our Member Federations.”

G. G.