Thursday January 26, Sports Nation speaks to the 11 female finalists to have their impressions on their chances of being crowned Sportslady of the Year 2005. The interviews are in alphabetical order of the sporting disciplines being represented in the finals. Lindy Leveau-Agricole athletics CROWNED Sportslady of the Year in 1996, Leveau-Agricole became the first Seychellois to win a gold medal in the sports section of the Jeux de la Francophonie in 2005. Her performance of 53.92 metres won her the javelin gold medal in Niamey, Niger. Hampered by an elbow injury in 2004, Leveau-Agricole broke the Seychelles javelin record in 2005 with a distance of 57.86 metres during the National Championship and on the same day, she improved the discus best to 45.84 metres. Confirming herself as the best javelin thrower Seychelles has ever produced, Leveau-Agricole has been chosen as the best female athlete six times in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2005. She was runner-up to Sportslady of the Year 1998 Yvonne Legaie and finished fifth in 2002. I have a good chance of winning the Sportslady of the Year title as I performed well in 2005 even though some people are saying that my performance at the Jeux de la Francophonie wasn t too good. I am the first Seychellois to win a gold medal in sports for Seychelles at these Games. I remember very well that in 1998 I lost the title to Legaie even though I won the African Championship gold medal, said Leveau-Agricole. Céline Laporte athletics FRANCE-BASED Laporte was the third place finisher in both the 2003 and 2004 editions of the annual awards ceremony. The 21-year-old had a fine 2005 season with a number of Seychelles records in the long jump (6.32 metres), 60m hurdles (8.62 seconds), heptathlon (5,684 points) and pentathlon (3,767 points). Jeux de la Francophonie long jump silver medallist with a distance of 6.24 metres, Laporte was ranked among the best performers worldwide in 2005. She was 146th out of 213 in the heptathlon and 189th out of 214 in the long jump. The heptathlete won the French Athletics Championship under-23 heptathlon gold medal and two bronze medals in the long jump and heptathlon during the French National Athletics Championship. Juliette Ah-Wan badminton
AH-WAN features among the finalists for the seventh year running. In 2005, Sportslady of the Year 2002 Ah-Wan again dominated her opponents in local competitions, winning the ladies singles and ladies doubles of the Curtain-raiser competition as well as the ladies singles, ladies doubles and mixed doubles of the Knockout competition. Ah-Wan, 24, was runner-up to Sportsladies of the Year Sophia Vandagne in 1999 and Janet Thélermont in 2002. Three-time young female athlete of the year winner (1997, 1998 and 1999) Ah-wan finished fourth overall in 2003 and 2004, while in 2001 she failed to win a place in the top five. I don t see myself challenging Céline (Laporte), Janet (Thélermont), Shrone (Austin), Lindy (Leveau-Agricole) and Julie (Matatiken) for the Sportslady of the Year title. Those five athletes performed well in 2005 and the title will go to one of them, said Ah-Wan who participated in the China Open, winning her first round match of the mixed doubles with partner Georgie Cupidon. Simone Malbrook basketball HER club team Anse Etoile Stars made a poor start to the 2005 season, losing the Curtain-raiser final to Bel Air. As the season grew older, Malbrook and teammates got themselves in the winning groove. They dethroned Bel Air as League champions before overturning a one-game deficit against the same opponents to retain the SBF Cup on a 2-1 score in the best-of-three series. In the Top-of-the-table competition, the Stars finished third. Internationally, Malbrook and the Stars finished fourth out of eight teams in the Falcons Tournament in Uganda, taking the best scorer title and finishing as the second best female player. Malbrook has won the female player of the year title seven times in 1990, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. She was runner-up to Sportslady of the Year Lindy Leveau-Agricole in 1996 and was placed fifth overall in 2001. I don t stand a chance to win the Sportslady of the Year title, Malbrook told Sports Nation. Marie-Annette Vidot judo
VIDOT did not compete internationally in 2005. Locally, she was either first or second in both the Open category and -78-kg division in two competitions, splitting the wins with Praslinois Brigitte Rose. The 28-year-old judoka told Sports Nation that my chances to win the Sportslady of the Year title are slim. The strong contenders have participated in a number of international competitions and performed well. Vidot has won the female judoka of the year title four times in 1994, 2001, 2002 and 2005. Shrone Austin swimming SPORTSLADY of the Year 2003 Austin is one of the top contenders to win the crown. Before relinquishing her title to Janet Thélermont, Austin told Sports Nation that if I don t win, I ll be back to claim it in 2005. In 2005, Austin won three medals - two gold and one silver in the short course 17e Championnat de Natation de l Océan indien in Reunion to win the best female swimmer title; captured 11 gold and fiver silver medals in the Sasol Winter Championship in South Africa to finish as the second best female swimmer; won two silver and three bonze medals at the African Junior Championship in Mauritius; took a silver medal at the Telkom Short Course Championship in South Africa; won 15 gold and two bronze medals at the Free State Championship in South Africa to win the best female swimmer title; captured 15 medals 13 gold, one silver and one bronze during the CJSOI competition in Seychelles to receive the best female swimmer accolade. Austin, who participated in the World Championship in Montreal, Canada, also broke a number of Seychelles records in 2005. Speaking to Sports Nation sometime before leaving for South Africa to resume her studies and training, Austin, who was fourth overall in 2002 and did not finish among the top-five in 2004, said: I hope to regain my Best Young Female Athlete of the Year title. As for the Sportslady of the Year, I ll be happy to make the top-five and the rest will depend on the selection committee. Janice Esparon table tennis ESPARON did not win any medal in international competitions in 2005 but she helped Seychelles qualify for the Jeux de la Francophonie in Niger. The young table tennis player, who participated in the 48th World Championship in China, was the Curtain-raiser singles runner-up and mixed doubles winner, National League singles winner, Top-Four singles winner, Handicap Tournament singles winner, and won the singles titles of the Monthly Challenge for the months of April, May, June and September. She was the runner-up in March and July. Esparon, who trained in Charleroi in Belgium ahead of the Jeux de la Francophonie, has won the best player of the year title for the fourth time - 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005. I m happy to be among the finalists and this is the second time I ve reached this far after 2001. I m not expecting to win the Sportslady of
the Year crown, but maybe I can find a place in the top-five, said the 19-year-old. Jerina Bonne volleyball SPORTSLADY of the Year 1997 Jerina Bonne captained Arsu to victory in the League championship, the Super Cup and the SVF Cup in 2005. As Arsu won a record 11th League championship title, they finished the season with a win-lose head-to-head record of 4-2 against man rivals Cascade. The only competition they did not win was the SVF Shield which they lost to Cascade. Fifth place finisher in 1998, 2003 and 2004, 31-year-old rapid attacker Bonne has remained consistent over the years. I stand no chance to win the Sportslady of the Year title, but I am happy to feature among the finalists. This shows that I m one of the athletes who is still performing well. If don t finish among the top-five I will not be disappointed. I ll be back to challenge the younger athletes again, said Bonne. Tracey Servina volleyball IN 2005, setter Servina won the SVF Shield with Cascade who finished as runners-up to Arsu in the League championship, the Super Cup and the SVF Cup. Making her first appearance among the finalists, Servina, 27, told Sports Nation that I m not looking forward to win the Sportslady of the Year title, but I m happy to hade made the finals, Servina told Sports Nation. Janet Thélermont weightlifting THELERMONT told Sports Nation earlier this week that it would be nice to make history and become the first lady to win back-to-back Sportslady of the Year title. A seven-time female weightlifter of the year, Thélermont is once again a strong contender for the Sportslady of the Year title she won for the
first time in 2002. Ranked 15th worldwide and second at Commonwealth level, Thélermont was fifth overall in 2000, fourth in 2001 and runner-up to Shrone Austin in 2003. In 2005, Thélermont won three gold medals (clean and jerk, snatch and Olympic total of 220kg) in the 69-kg division of the African Senior and Junior Weightlifting Championship held concurrently with the fourth edition of the East African Championship in Uganda. She finished with 225kg in the Open Championship and with 223kg in the National Championship in two local competitions. Julie Matatiken weightlifting RUNNER-UP to outgoing Sportslady of the Year Janet Thélermont, Matatiken won three gold medals in the 48-kg category of the African Senior and Junior Weightlifting Championship held concurrently with the fourth edition of the East African Championship in Uganda. Her winning total was 120kg. In the two local competitions, Matatiken finished with 125kg in the 48-kg category of the National Championship and totalled 135kg in the 53-kg division of the Open Chammpionship. Ranked seventh at Commonwealth level in the 48-kg category, Matatiken had this to say to Sports Nation: I won t win the Sportslady of the Year, but I am sure of finishing among the top-five. It must be noted that Matatiken featured among the 10 finalists in 2003 but failed to pin down a place in the top five. G. G.