Interview with Sportsman of the Year Dominic Dugasse |07 February 2014

‘Winning the title is a huge accomplishment’

The year 2013 has been a great year for judo and it all culminated in one of its athletes being named Sportsman of the year for 2013.

It has also been a great year for Praslin sportsmen and women who have brought multiple honours to the island.

Footballers, netball players, volleyballers, basketballers and judokas, all brought honours to Praslin last year. But it is the sport of judo that has given the island its biggest prize with judoka Dominic Dugasse being crowned Sportsman of the Year. He is the first Praslin-based athlete to win the prestigious award.

“It is a huge accomplishment for me to win this award as I really wanted to win it for Praslin and I finally managed it,” said Dominic when contacted by Sports Nation.

In 2012, Dominic finished as runner-up to boxer Andrique Allisop who was named Sportsman of the Year. And with continued effort last year he went one place better to claim the award.

“It was very difficult to go from second place up to first as it takes a lot of effort to maintain the same level of performance and even doing better,” he added.

The Sportsman of the Year won the -100kg gold medal at the African Open Championship in Mauritius and also won gold in the Seychelles International Judo Tournament held here. At the African Senior Championship he was ranked fifth in the -100kg class, but finished seventh at both the European Cup in Germany and the Bondie Cup in France. He also took part in the Grand Prix in Paris, France, the World Senior Championship in Brazil and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where he was ranked 54th worldwide, making a huge leap from his previous ranking of 135th.

In 2014, Dominic intends to have a greater performance at international level as he is preparing for the African Senior Championship in April and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in August.

“For me, in the future I want to keep improving and move to a higher level in the sport of judo,” said the athlete who forms part of the Baie Ste Anne Praslin judo club. “My target is to bring more medals to Seychelles from the African continent and even the world.”

Dominic has been practicing judo since 1993, which means he has over 20 years experience in the sport having started at a very young age. But he says he only practiced the sport for 15 years as there were times in between where he stopped.  

“I started doing judo after Seychelles had hosted the fourth 1993 Indian Ocean Island Games. I did not always practice it though as there were moments when I quitted as I was also playing football and attending school at that time,” he said.

The 28-year-old says that it takes a lot to reach a high level in judo as a lot of training is needed.

“Judo is a sport where you need a lot of concentration in training if you want to reach the highest level possible,” he said.

“It is also a sport that demands a lot of sacrifices. I have to always keep myself in top shape when I compete and have to limit myself from enjoyment, alcohol, and so on, as it is a must that I am in the best condition in such competitions.”

For Dominic, judo has not always been a smooth ride. He explains that there has been a lot moments of frustration and disappointment for him in the past.

“At one point, I really wanted to test myself against the top judokas across the region, but I always found myself competing locally against the same athletes I have been training with. That did not help my progress as I did not have tougher challenges. I did not give up however, I kept going and eventually international competitions came up.”

 At the Seychelles international judo tournament held here back in November, many young judokas were also competing.

Dominic has this to say to these young hopefuls as well as other youths: “You have to keep on striving in order to achieve good results and do not let bad influences affect you. You have to always look forward if you want to go far in everything you do.”

Being the first judoka to win the Sportsman of the Year award, Dominic has shown just how far the sport has grown over the past four years and it is hoped that it continues at the same pace, where young judokas can follow his example and bring our small island much more glory across the region, continent and the world.

S. N.