Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers-Weightlifting |20 July 2007
Hampered by a back injury sustained during a training camp in South Africa when preparing for the Games, Thélermont looked in deep pain whenever she executed her lifts inside the Salle OMS de Bousmail in Tipaza, on the outskirts of Algiers. Even so, she could have even won a gold medal and it would have been Seychelles' first ever in the Games if not for her superior body weight.
The reigning Sportslady of the Year failed to lift 90kg in her first snatch attempt, but asked for the bar to be loaded at 92kg for her second try. She was successful. Then she got 95kg over her head and Algerian Leila Françoise Lassaouani achieved the same feat on her third try.
Weighing 67.800kg compared to Lassaouani's body weight of 64kg, Thélermont had to settle for the silver medal in snatch. The Algerian lifter took the gold medal and Egyptian Hebat Alla Ahmed, who failed to lift her third attempt at 96kg, took the bronze medal of the snatch event.
Feeling pain in her upper back, especially when she executes the clean-and-jerk movement, Thélermont knew that she had to persevere if she was to win at least
a second medal.
Her best performance was 105kg in her first try as she was unsuccessful in the other two, failing to lift 111kg. She finished out of the medal placing in the clean-and-jerk event won by Egyptian Ahmed with 118kg.
The silver and bronze medals were won by Algerian Lassouani (117kg) and Tunisian Joubaba Ben Chobba (117kg).
When it was time to reward the lifters for their good showings in the two events, Thélermont, whose personal best and Seychelles’ snatch record is 100kg and that for clean-and-jerk is 130kg, finished third for the bronze medal with a total of 200kg.
Both Algerian Lassouani and Egyptian Ahmed finished with 212kg but the Algerian lifter went home with the gold medal because she weighed in at 64kg while Ahmed's body weight was 67kg.
"I'm delighted to win a silver and a bronze. I could have won the gold medal overall but the injury hindered my movements. It's very painful. Also this is my last All-Africa Games and I am going out happy that I have been able to win medals for Seychelles even
when I'm not a 100% fit," said Thélermont, winner of three silver medals in Abuja, Nigeria in 2003.
On Tuesday night at the same venue, Elvis Jeanne, competing in the 94kg category, only completed the snatch event with 131kg, but failed all his attempts at 160kg in the clean-and-jerk.
"I was doing quite well but suddenly I felt dizzy and I could only clean the bar," said Jeanne.
Egyptian Mohamed Elnagar won the category's three gold medals with 153kg in snatch, 206kg in clean-and-jerk for an Olympic total of 359kg.
At the start of day seven of competition yesterday, Seychelles had won six medals - a silver and five bronze.
Another female lifter, Clementina Agricole won three bronzes in snatch (77kg), clean-and-jerk (97kg) and Olympic total of 174kg in the 58kg division.
The other bronze was won by the mixed badminton side in the team event.
By Gerard Govinden in Algiers