African Weightlifting Championship-Georges makes clean sweep of gold medals |10 August 2010

Seychelles won another six medals – five silver and a bronze – at the championship.

A three-time former Sportswoman of the Year, Georges made a clean sweep of the gold medals, lifting 111kg in the clean & jerk and 95kg in the snatch for an Olympic total of 206kg to win three gold medals.

“It was tough work to win three gold medals. I’m happy I’m back to my old form and I feel good to be able to represent my country to the best of abilities.

“These days, it is not important to break records, the more important thing is to win medals,” Georges told Sports Nation.

The 31-year-old is Seychelles’ highest gold medal winner in the African Senior Weightlifting Championship with 13. This is in fact the fourth time she has made a clean sweep of the gold medals at the championship. The first was in Nairobi, Kenya in 2002. In Kampala, Uganda in 2005, she easily won the women’s senior 69-kg category ahead of two Ugandans with lifts of 100kg in snatch and 120kg in clean & jerk for an Olympic total of 220kg. In Casablanca, Morocco in 2006, she defended her three gold medals with lifts of 85kg (snatch) and 105kg (clean & jerk) for an Olympic total of 190kg, despite being hampered by an injury in her right leg and pain in her lower back. She did just two of the three authorised lifts in the two events.

In 2004 in Tunis, Tunisia, she won three medals – 1 gold and 2 silver. In the Strand, Cape Town, South Africa in 2008, the policewoman won a bronze in the snatch event (94kg) of the women’s 69-kg category.

Last year in Uganda, Georges competed in the women’s senior 63kg division, snatching 82kg to win the silver medal and finishing with 95kg in the clean & jerk to grab the bronze medal. She also took a bronze medal with an Olympic total of 177kg.

Back to this year’s championship, Katsia Télémaque returned home with three silver medals after snatching 65kg and heaving 80kg – a new record – in the clean & jerk for an Olympic total of 145kg in the 48kg division. Her previous clean & jerk best was 75kg.

In Uganda, last year, Télémaque made a clean sweep of the gold medals in the women’s junior 48kg category with then record lifts of 63kg (snatch) and 73kg (clean & jerk) for an Olympic total of 136kg. Her snatch performance also earned her a silver medal in the senior category.

Ruby Malvina settled for a clean & jerk bronze medal with 75kg on the bar in the 53kg category.

Of the three male lifters who took part in the championship, only Terrence Dixie finished on the medals podium with two silvers in the clean & jerk (160kg) and snatch (126kg) in the 85kg class.

Ian Rose was ranked sixth out of nine lifters in the 62kg category, while Charles Siméon sustained an injury and did not compete in the 77kg division.

G. G.