Sports Awards of the Year 2010-Meet the female finalists |27 January 2011

Athlete Lissa Labiche

A first-time winner of the female athlete of the year title, high jumper Labiche dominated the event at the National Junior Championship and National Championship.

She also did well in all the international competitions she took part in – settling for second place and the high jump silver medal with a height of 1.70m at the 17th African Senior Athletics Championship in Nairobi, Kenya, winning the Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien and Mauritius International Meet gold medals with the same height.

At the Southern Region Youth Championship in Botswana, the 17-year-old was second again with 1.70m. She registered a height of 1.74m at the World Youth Championship in Verona, Italy, and was ranked eighth at the XIX Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, with 1.68m.

Athlete Janet Boniface

Jumps specialist Boniface twice improved her triple jump personal best – to 12.11m and 12.25m – in 2010, winning all three local competitions she took part in.

A long jump gold medallist at the Mauritius International Meet with 5.83m, Boniface, 19, claimed the Southern Region Junior Championship gold medal with a personal best of 5.91m – 1cm shy of Joanna Hoareau’s Seychelles junior record.

At the 17th African Senior Athletics Championship in Nairobi, Kenya, she finished 11th in the triple jump with 11.93m and 8th in the long jump with 5.69m.

Badminton player Alisen Camille

Outgoing Young Female Athlete of the Year Camille was the ladies’ doubles bronze medallist with partner Juliette Ah-Wan at the African Senior Badminton Championship.

She also took part in the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Locally, the 18-year-old won the ladies’ singles and mixed doubles of the Curtain-raiser tournament and the Closing Cup.

Badminton player Juliette Ah-Wan

Ah-Wan partnered Alisen Camille at the African Senior Badminton Championship, winning the ladies’ doubles bronze medal.

The twice former Sportswoman of the Year (2000 and 2007) also took part in the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

She competed in only the Curtain-raiser tournament locally, winning the ladies’ singles and ladies’ doubles, and was second in the mixed doubles.

Basketballer Tina Agathine

Lanky centre Agathine was instrumental in guiding HotShots to achieving a back-to-back league and cup double.

Dominant under the ring, the 28-year-old, who also plays volleyball with Arsu and is a member of the Seychelles volleyball team, was outstanding for the Anse Boileau-based team, who also won the Regatta tournament and finished second in the Charity match and Curtain-raiser tournament.

Judoka Brigitte Rose

A member of the country’s women’s volleyball team who won the African Nations Cup gold medal in 2001, Rose captured the -78kg category gold medal at the Tournoi de Noël in Mauritius and was ranked second in the +63kg division and team event at the Anoca zone 7 Games.

The Praslinois also dominated her opponents locally, winning the Curtain-raiser, Praslin Open and Roche Caïman tournaments.

Swimmer Shannon Austin

Austin has won the female swimmer of the year title for three consecutive years. She won two bronze medals, in the 200m and 400m freestyle, at the Telkom South Africa Level 3 National Championship to achieve the qualifying standards for the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in both events.

She also got 50m freestyle records in the Olympic-size pool and in the 25m pool during the 10th Fina World Short Course Championship in Dubai.

The 17-year-old also took part in the National Open Championship, which she won, and defended Seychelles’ colours at the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Volleyballer Terille Songoire

Playing like a seasoned player despite being only 22, Songoire carried the Cascade team on her shoulders in 2010, winning the Women’s First Division Cup and the Seychelles Volleyball Federation Cup.

Fourth with Cascade in the Indian Ocean Club Championship in Mauritius, she was part of the team who were runners-up in the Curtain-raiser, SVF Shield and League Championship.

Weightlifter Janet Georges

Thrice former Sportswoman of the Year in 2002, 2004 and 2006, Georges (formerly Thélermont) was a triple gold medallist in the 69kg category at the 17th African Senior Weightlifting Championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Georges made Seychelles proud at the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, winning the country’s only medal – a silver – with a total lift of 216kg.  She also took first place in the National Open and National Championship.

The 31-year-old is Seychelles’ highest gold medal winner in the African Senior Weightlifting Championship with 13 and has made a clean sweep of the gold medals at the championship four times – in Nairobi, Kenya in 2002, in Kampala, Uganda in 2005, in Tunis, Tunisia in 2004 and in Yaoundé, Cameroon in 2011.

Weightlifter Katsia Télémaque

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 of the 17th African Senior Weightlifting Championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Her previous clean & jerk best was 75kg.

At the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, she was ranked eighth out of 10 in the women’s 48kg division with an Olympic total of 145kg (65kg snatch and 80kg clean & jerk).
In the National Open and National Championship, the 21-year-old won the 48kg division with Olympic totals of 137kg.

Compiled by G. G.