16th African Senior Athletics Championships-Leveau-Agricole wins javelin silver medal |05 May 2008
A two-time former Sportslady of the Year, in 1996 and 2005, Leveau-Agricole finished the
The javelin specialist, who qualified for her first Olympic Games in Beijing, China, by winning the silver medal at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria with a distance of 56.49m in her second attempt, was the gold medallist at the 11th African Senior Athletics Championships in 1998 in Dakar, Senegal.
Holder of the Seychelles record of 57.86m, Leveau-Agricole also won a javelin silver medal in the same championship in 2000 in Algeria and finished third with a best throw of 54.51m two years back at the Germain Commarmond Stadium in Bambous, Mauritius.
Former African record holder Sunette Viljoen won the javelin gold medal in Addis Ababa with a winning effort measuring 55.17m. African gold medallist in 2004 and Commonwealth Games gold medallist in 2006, Viljoen won in the absence of compatriot and holder of the African record, Justine Robbeson, who did not take part after suffering a serious ankle injury during a training session last Thursday.
The bronze medal went to Egyptian Hanaa Omar with a distance of 52.32m.
The other results: Kenyan Cicilia Kiplangat (fourth with 50.55m), Ugandan Annet Jeska Kabasindi (fifth with 46.15m), Nigerian Sorochukwu Ihuefo (sixth with 45.35m), Ethiopian Abaynesh Sisay (seventh with 41.23m), Ethiopian Tadelech Ragasa (eighth with 39.13m) and Ethiopian Desalech Mishamo (ninth with 37.64m).
Meanwhile, Seychellois Céline Laporte did not compete in the women’s long jump event won by South African Janice Josephs last Friday.
Heptathlon gold medallist in Bambous in 2006, Josephs won the long jump gold medal in Addis Ababa with a fine jump of 6.64m.
Nigerian Chinazom Amadi settled for the silver with 6.31m, while Ivorian Patricia Soman finished third for the bronze medal with 6.13m.
It is not clear if Laporte, heptathlon silver medallist in Bambous in 2006, arrived in Addis Ababa for the championships.
A third Seychellois athlete – William Woodcock – was expected in action yesterday in the men’s high jump.
G. G.