Sports Awards of the Year 2007-Cupidon and Ah-Wan make history |26 January 2008
Seychelles Nation presents you with short profiles of the top five chosen from the finalists in both the female and male categories.
Badminton player Georgie Cupidon – Sportsman of the Year
Local competitions: Curtain-raiser mixed double winner
International competitions: Mixed doubles gold medallist with Juliette Ah-Wan at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria
Team event bronze medallist at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria
Team event gold medallist at the African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius
Mixed doubles gold medallist with Juliette Ah-Wan at the African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius
Men’s doubles silver medallist with Steve Malcouzane at the African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius
Mixed doubles silver medallist with Juliette Ah-Wan at the Mauritius Open
Seychelles’ undisputed number one player, Georgie Cupidon became the first badminton player to win the Sportsman of the Year title in 2006 and the 26-year-old has retained the title after an eventful and rewarding 2007 season.
Laser sailor Allan Julie – runner-up
International competitions: Europa Cup in Italy – winner
Laser Europa Cup Standard in Coych - fourth out of 137 participants
39ème Semaine Olympique Française - 52nd out of 188 participants
ISAF Sailing World Championships - 49th out of 149 participants in the
Emirates Open Regatta - 2nd out of 13 participants
SPA Regatta - 18th out of 108 participants
Former five-time Sportsman of the Year (in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005) Laser sailor Allan Julie has finished as runner-up to Georgie Cupidon. He made his first win on the international circuit in 2007 and qualified for the forthcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, China. He was third in 2003 and fifth in 2006.
National competitions: None
International competitions: Team event gold medallist at the African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius
Men’s doubles silver medallist with Georgie Cupidon at the African Senior Badminton Championship
Men’s doubles silver medallist with Georgie Cupidon at the Mauritius Open
Team event bronze medallist at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria
The country’s number two player, Steve Malcouzane played an important role in landing the Seychelles squad the gold medal of the team event at the African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius. He is Georgie Cupidon’s partner in the men’s doubles event.
Boxer Kitson Julie –fourth place finisher
National competitions: Won 3-0 against Alvin Gabriel in May
Won against Nigel Benoit in April
International competitions: Seventh IOIG gold medallist in the 69-kg division
Zone 7 African Championship qualifier gold medallist in the 69-kg division
Bronze medallist in the Cardo Va Cardin tournament in Cuba in the 69-kg division
First round loser at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algeria
Runner-up to Sportsman of the Year Allan Julie in 2004, Kitson Julie moved up a category in 2007 and rediscovered his punching prowess. He registered three knockouts (KOs) in as many fights at the Seventh IOIG to win the gold medal.
Weightlifter Charles Siméon – fifth place finisher
National competitions: National Open Championship totalled 240kg in total (110kg in snatch and 130kg in clean-and-jerk) in the 77-kg category
International competitions: Ninth All-Africa Games in Algeria - fifth out of 19 participants with 266kg (116kg in snatch and 150kg in clean-and-jerk) in the 77-kg category
Seventh IOIG in Madagascar – two gold medals and one silver in the 77-kg category
South African Open Championship – gold medallist with a total of 255kg in the 77-kg category
Runner-up to Sportsmen of the Year Allan Julie (in 2005) and Georgie Cupidon (in 2006), Charles Siméon, 25, grabbed three medals – two gold and a silver - in the 77kg division at the Seventh IOIG in Madagascar to take fifth place overall in the final voting.
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Badminton player Juliette Ah-Wan – Sportslady of the Year
National competitions: Curtain-raiser tournament – Winner of the ladies’ singles, ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles
International competitions: Mixed doubles gold medallist with Georgie Cupidon at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria
Team event bronze medallist at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria
Team event gold medallist at the African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius
Mixed doubles gold medallist with Georgie Cupidon at the African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius
Ladies’ doubles bronze medallist with Catherina Paulin at the African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius
Mixed doubles silver medallist with Georgie Cupidon at the Mauritius Open
This is the second time Juliette Ah-Wan wins the Sportslady of the Year title. Her first triumph came in 2000. The country’s female number one player for many years now, Ah-Wan joined forces with Georgie Cupidon to help the Seychelles mixed doubles team ranked first in Africa.
The 26-year-old, who won the young female athlete of the year title three times (1997, 1998 and 1999), was runner-up to Sportsladies of the Year Sophia Vandagne in 1999 and Janet Thélermont in 2002, finished third in 2006 and was fourth overall in 2003 and 2004.
National competitions: SYA Laser National Championship – first place in the mixed category (boys and girls)
SYA Laser Cup A - seventh out of seven participants
SYA Laser Cup B - third out of five participants
International competitions: Ninth All-Africa Games – winner of the gold medal in the women’s Laser class
Laser sailor Meggy Gertrude, 17, became the first Seychellois athlete to win a gold medal at the All-Africa Games and that came in Algiers, Algeria, during the ninth edition of the Games in 2007.
Lindy Leveau-Agricole – third place finisher
National competitions: Won all javelin, discus and shot putt competitions she participated in.
Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria – javelin silver medallist with 56.49 metres to qualify for Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Seventh IOIG in Madagascar – javelin gold medallist with 54.04m, discus silver medallist with 43.34m and shot putt bronze medallist with 13.12m
Meeting International de Maurice - javelin gold medallist
Southern Africa Regional Permit Meet in Gaborone, Botswana - javelin gold medallist
Southern Region Meet in Namibia - javelin gold medallist
A two-time former Sportslady of the Year (in 1996 and 2005) Lindy Leveau-Agricole qualified for a first participation in the Olympic Games (in Beijing, China in 2008) with a distance of 56.49m – her best distance achieved outside Seychelles. This also earned her the silver medal at the Ninth All-Africa Games and she also won the javelin gold medal at the Seventh IOIG.
A seven-time best female athlete of the year – in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2007 - Leveau-Agricole, 29, was runner-up to Sportslady of the Year 1998 Yvonne Legaie and was fifth in 2002.
Weightlifter Janet Thélermont – fourth place finisher
National competitions: National Open Championship – total lift of 170kg in the 69-kg category
Seventh IOIG in Madagascar – winner of three gold medals – 80kg in snatch, 100k in clean-and-jerk and Olympic total of 180kg - in the 75kg division
Hampered by a back injury sustained during a training camp in South Africa, policewoman Janet Thélermont lost the snatch gold medal to Algerian Leila Françoise Lassaouani at the All-Africa Games because of a superior body weight.
The 28-year-old’s three Sportslady of the Year title wins have come at two-year intervals – in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
Runner-up to Shrone Austin in 2003 and to Lindy Leveau-Agricole in 2005, Thélermont was fifth overall in 2000, fourth in 2001.
National competitions: None
International competitions: Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria – team event bronze medallist
African Senior Badminton Championship in Mauritius - team event gold medallist and ladies’ doubles bronze medallist alongside Juliette Ah-Wan
This is the first time Catherina Paulin gets a top-five finish. The 22-year-old played an important role in landing the Seychelles squad the numerous titles they won in 2007.
Compiled by G. G.