Labiche, Sicobo win best athletes titles for 2017 season |29 August 2017

They are both already being hailed as potential winners of the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year titles and on Saturday Lissa Labiche and Dylan Sicobo were named the best in athletics for the 2017 season, moving them closer to clinching the huge cups.

The awards were presented in a small ceremony on Saturday afternoon at Stad Popiler after the Seychelles Athletics Federation (SAF) had held its final competition – the Federation Trophy – to close out the season.

In fact, the Federation Trophy did not attract too many athletes, but those who competed did give their best on the day.

Before presenting the various awards, SAF secretary general Wilfred Adrien addressed the athletes and thanked them for their superb performances and he also called on potential sponsors and volunteers to help to bring their help to raise the standard of track & field in Seychelles.

“We had a good 2017 season and were able to accomplish what we set out to do and for that I thank all the athletes, coaches and officials,” said Mr Adrien.

He added: “We still, however, need more help and so I want to encourage all of you, to bring your parents, siblings and friends to Stad Popiler for competitions so that they can help us as officials and in any other way they can.”

High jumper Labiche was named the female athlete of the year after a year during which she won the gold medal at the Jeux de la Francophonie in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in July. Labiche soared to 1.91m to win the gold medal, which was in fact her best performance of the year and is just 1 cm shy of her own 1.92m national record which was established during the South African Open Championship in May 2015.

Before claiming the gold medal at the Jeux de la Francophonie, Labiche claimed the gold medal with a bar of 1.80m at the Southern Region Senior Athletics Championships held in Harare, Zimbabwe.

For the male category, it is no surprise that Dylan Sicobo has been named the top athlete of the year 2017 during which he had a real breakthrough which culminated with the 100m sprint gold medal at the Jeux de la Francophonie.

Sicobo was also the only Seychellois to compete at the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championships, where he failed to make it past the first round.

He also broke the Seychelles 100m national record three times during the year, with the latest record time of 10.33 seconds coming at the Jeux de la Francophonie, where he also won bronze in the 4x100m relay alongside teammates Sharry Dodin, Ned Azemia and Leeroy Henriette.

In other awards given out on the day, the young female athlete of the year went to high jumper Natasha Chetty whose personal best is ……1.65m, while Joshua Onezime was named the young male athlete of the year.

Carlos Sanchez, who coaches both Labiche and Chetty, was named coach of the year, while Beryl Laramé was named official of the year.

S. N.