XVIII Commonwealth Games-No luck for Seychelles on Day One |17 March 2006

In badminton at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, the country’s team, comprising Juliette Ah-Wan, Cynthia Course, Georgie Cupidon and Steve Malcouzane, lost 0-4 to England in their first pool D match of the mixed team event.

Seychelles play against India Friday March 17 and Trinidad and Tobago Saturday March 18.

Inside the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, female weightlifter Julie Matatiken finished eighth out of nine participants in the 48-kg division with an Olympic total of 125kg.

After failing to snatch 55kg in her first attempt, Matatiken lifted the weight over her head in her second try. She then failed at 61kg.

When she lifted 70kg in her first clean and jerk attempt, Matatiken thought of getting bigger lifts but she twice failed to lift 75kg.

Matatiken’s 125kg relegated South African Kathleen Hare into ninth place with 124kg (55kg in snatch and 69kg in clean and jerk).

Indian Devi Kunjarani Nameipakpam snatched the gold medal with an Olympic total of 166kg (72kg in snatch and 94kg in clean and jerk).

The silver medal went to Canadian Marilou Dozois-Prévost with 165kg (73kg in snatch and 92kg in clean and jerk) and Australian Iris Yuriko Eroika Yamasaki took the bronze medal with 153kg (69kg in snatch and 84kg in clean and jerk).

It must be noted that South African Vries Portia Charmaine and Welsh Louise Kate Howard were not ranked after failing all their three clean and jerk attempts.

No Seychelles swimming record was improved in the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre pool with three Seychellois in action.

Shrone Austin, who has been training and studying in South Africa, was last out of eight participants in the third 200m freestyle heat.

Her time was 2 minutes 12.14 seconds, way off her Seychelles record of 2:09.06 clocked at last year’s African Junior Swimming Championship in Mauritius.

Scotland's Caitlin McClatchey out-swam Australian Libby Lenton, setting a new Games record of 1:57.25 to win the gold medal. England’s Melanie Marshall finished third.

Bertrand Bristol could not come anywhere close to his 200m butterfly record of 2:09.07 set at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 2004, clocking 2:12.86 to take seventh place out of as many participants in heat number two.

New Zealander Moss Burmester powered home in 1:56.64 in the final for a Games record, beating Australians Travis Nederpelt (silver medallist with a time of 1:57.26) and Joshua Krough (bronze medallist with a time of 1:59.18).

In the 400m freestyle, Steven Mangroo touched the pad in 4:23.83, six seconds outside Jean-Paul Adam’s record of 4:17.41 set during the Fifth Indian Ocean Islands Games in Reunion in 1998.

This performance earned Mangroo sixth position in heat number one, beating Mauritian Chris Hackel into seventh and last place with 4:25.61.

Scottish David Carry won the gold medal in a personal best time of 3:48.17. Canadian Andrew Hurd picked up the silver medal in 3:49.08 with David Davies from Wales came out third.

Seychellois athletes in action Friday

Weightlifting at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre
Clementina Agricole in the 53-kg division

Badminton at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre
Seychelles v/s India in pool D

Swimming at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre
Bertrand Bristol – 50m butterfly
Steven Mangroo – 200m freestyle

G. G.