Sports Awards of the Year 2007-Grand slam for badminton |26 January 2008

In fact it was a grand slam for badminton as it is the second time in the 23-year history of the Sports Awards of the Year crowning ceremony that the best male and female athletes come from the same sport.

With a bucket-load of nominations, the sport of badminton also had Juliette Ah-Wan crowned Sportslady of the Year for her second triumph.

Previously honoured in 2000, Ah-Wan was up against Laser sailor Meggy Gertrude (runner-up), athlete Lindy Leveau-Agricole (third), weightlifter Janet Thélermont (fourth) and fellow badminton player Catherina Paulin (fifth).

Cupidon and Ah-Wan formed the illustrious Seychelles pair who won the mixed doubles titles at both the African Senior Championship and the Ninth All-Africa Games. They also led Seychelles to winning the team event gold medal at the African Senior Championship

Winner of the team event bronze medal at the Eighth All-Africa Junior Badminton Championship, Joel Dubel was the third badminton player to be crowned last night as he took home the Young Male Athlete of the Year title.

The Young Female Athlete of the Year award went to Laser sailor Meggy Gertrude who made history by winning Seychelles’ first gold medal at the All-Africa Games and that came in Algiers, Algeria, 29 years after the country first participated in the African manifestation in the Algerian capital city in 1978.

The Sports Awards of the Year 2007 ceremony was held last night at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS).