Badminton: Thomas and Uber Cups preliminaries in Uganda - G.G. Nation SEY 03.03.2010
Disappointing tourney for women’s team
Women’s doubles bronze at Africa Individual meet
SEYCHELLES’ women’s involvement in the African qualifiers for the Uber Cup could be termed a disaster, and Seychelles Badminton Association (SBA) chairman Michel Bau is still annoyed with the organisation.
Speaking to Sports Nation yesterday, he said the competition in Uganda was a disaster organisation-wise.
It’s sad that such a big competition was organised in such a way,” he said.
“The competition was not played according to the schedule and there was no light in the gymnasium. Play started at 7am and sometimes ended at 11pm. Because of that players had to wake up at 5am.
“It was a real nightmare, and our women’s team lost their first match by a walkover against Burundi, the weakest team in the competition.
“There were too many misunderstandings and changes in the schedule and they cost us the match,” added Mr Bau.
 “We made a formal appeal, but because people who sit on the technical committee were stuck in the African Badminton Federation’s annual general meeting, which was also a chaos, a decision could not be taken immediately. By the time they came to a conclusion, the referees had gone on with the competition and Burundi had played their second match. They just could not reverse the decision.”
The unfortunate circumstances annoyed the players, according to Mr Bau, and they lost their concentration.
“It has been a disappointing outing for us. We expected a lot from such a very good Seychelles women’s team,” he said.
The women’s team comprised three-time African senior women’s singles champion Juliette Ah-Wan, Katherina Paulin, Alisen Camille, Cynthia Course and Jessy Mancienne.
Ah-Wan said she cried with rage every day over the unfortunate situation.
“This is my worst experience. I feel there was a set-up against us and it’s a sad situation for African badminton,” she said.
As for the men’s team made up of senior players Steve Malcouzane and Georgie Cupidon and two juniors – Richie Course and Kervin Ghislain – Mr Bau said he was very happy with their showing.
“They impressed me and could have made the medals round had they not lost 2-3 to South Africa in the quarterfinal,” he said.
South Africa (women) and Nigeria (men) earned the right to play with the world’s best in Malaysia with victory over Egypt and Mauritius.
Seychelles did win a medal – a bronze – in Uganda in the first Africa Individual meet played from February 24-26.
It was the pair of Alisen Camille and Juliette Ah-Wan who grabbed the bronze in the women’s doubles event.
 After winning a bye in the first round, the two cousins beat the Foo Kune sisters – Karen and Kate – from Mauritius 2 -0 (22-20, 21-17) in their first match. In their quarterfinal encounter, they eliminated Seychellois Mancienne and a Mauritian 2-0 (21-14, 21-15) before taking a bow against a Nigerian duo 1-2 (21-19, 14-21, 19-21) in the semifinal.

SPORTSMAN of the Year Steve Malcouzane will lead the country’s badminton team to Uganda tomorrow to take part in the preliminaries of the Thomas and Uber Cups – the sport’s world cups.
G. G. Nation SC 17/02/2010
The event will take place at the ultra-modern Lugogo indoor stadium from February 20-23 and will be contested by teams from Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Mauritius, Seychelles, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya.
The 11-member Seychelles delegation comprises nine players – Juliette Ah-Wan, Katherina Paulin, Alisen Camille, Cynthia Course, Jessy Mancienne, Steve Malcouzane, Georgie Cupidon, Kervin Ghislain and Richie Course – and two coaches – Gerard Bibi and Calix Francourt.
The ladies will play in the Uber Cup, while the men will compete in the Thomas Cup.
Speaking to Sports Nation, coach Bibi said he has high hopes for the two teams.
“I expect both the men’s and women’s teams to do well in the preliminaries. While things could be a little harder for the men’s team, I have high hopes of the women’s. They can do it,” said Bibi, who was voted the best coach for the 2009 sporting season.
“Although we may say a lot of good things, all will depend on the players. The preparation has gone according to plan and they have trained six days a week since last month. We expect them to translate into the competition what they did in training. If they can do this, I see no reason why we cannot triumph in Uganda.”
Three-time African senior women’s singles champion Ah-Wan echoed her coach’s sentiment.
“We have probably the best women’s team in Africa. All we have to do is get our act together to finish on the highest step of the podium. All players must be ready to play and play with verve,” said former two-time Sportswoman of the Year Ah-Wan.
The first male player to win a singles medal in the African Senior Championships – a bronze – last year in Kenya, Malcouzane believes the country’s men’s team can do well if all the players stay focused and play their hearts out.
 “We have a very good chance of achieving something good. Even the two junior players – Ghislain and Richie Course – who lack international experience, can contribute to the team’s success as long as they play hard,” said Malcouzane.
Teams will play three singles and two doubles matches in the Thomas and Uber Cup preliminaries.
The top men’s and women’s teams will represent Africa at the world show set for Malaysia from May 9-16.
Last time Seychelles took part in the qualifiers in Mauritius in 2006, the women’s team finished third behind South Africa and Mauritius, while the men were ranked fourth behind South Africa, Mauritius and Zambia.
The Uber Cup is the most sought-after women’s team trophy in the badminton world. Only four nations have won it since its inception in 1956: USA, Japan, Indonesia and China.
China has won the last three Uber Cups, held in Jakarta in 2004, Sendai/Tokyo in 2006 and Jakarta in 2008. The next Women’s Team World Badminton Championship for the Uber Cup will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 9-16, 2010.
Only three nations have won the Thomas Cup title in 25 tournaments since 1948-1949. Indonesia are the most successful team with 14 wins. China, who did not begin to compete until the 1981-1982 series, have seven titles, while Malaysia have won four.
Africa Individual meet and Roofings International tournament
After the completion of the Thomas and Uber Cup preliminaries, the local shuttlers will compete in the first Africa Individual meet from February 24-26.
Sports Nation has also learned there is a possibility that the two teams will take part in the Roofings International tournament, provided it ends before the team’s departure date – February 28.
“We must have confirmation of the dates of the Roofings International tournament before we enter. This is because we will be fined if we leave the competition early to come back home and our players are still involved,” Seychelles Badminton Association chairman Michel Bau told Sports Nation.
The top performers in the Roofings International tournament will earn world ranking points.
The fourth competition – the African U-18 Championship – starts today and no Seychellois have entered.
To prepare for these four tournaments, the Uganda Badminton Association has received seven cartons of shuttlecocks from the Badminton World Federation.

Interview with Sportsman of the Year Steve Malcouzane      G.G. Nation SEY 04.02.2010
‘It was a pretty good year and one of the best for me’
BADMINTON player Steve Malcouzane added the biggest sports honour – the Sportsman of the Year title – to his growing collection of silverware during last Friday’s Sports Awards of the Year crowning ceremony to seal a banner year for him.

“Frankly speaking, I did not expect to win the title. But I saw myself in the top three before the start of the ceremony,” the soft-spoken Malcouzane told Sports Nation.
Despite his newly found fame, Malcouzane remains an ordinary kid who is suddenly leading an extraordinary life. He now has to work hard to maintain some balance.
“I am who I am and winning the title won’t change my way of thinking and living,” he added.
Malcouzane achieved something special in 2009 when he became the first Seychellois male badminton player to win a singles medal – a bronze – at the 11th All-Africa Senior Badminton Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.
He also won a bronze medal with partner Georgie Cupidon in the men’s doubles and played a major part in helping the Seychelles team win a silver medal in the team event.
All these achievements would have been more than enough to secure Malcouzane’s stardom.
"It was a pretty good year and one of the best for me," he said.
“Performance-wise I did well and I’m happy with myself for I proved that I can play well. Hopefully there's more to come."
There is so much more. The 2010 season will start later this month for Malcouzane and the other badminton players who will take part in the continental qualifiers for the Thomas Cup – the Men’s Team World Badminton Championship – from February 21-23 in Kampala, Uganda.
The final stage of the Thomas Cup will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from May 9-16.
 “I hope to do even better this year, but I have to train hard and keep my feet on the ground. Good results don’t come easy and I am ready to work even harder to achieve greater things this year with the hope of retaining the Sportsman of the Year title,” added the 27-year-old.
Malcouzane, who first won the badminton player of the year title in 1998 before playing second fiddle to Cupidon, elevated himself to the highest rank in 2009 by defeating the twice former Sportsman of the Year three times in the singles event.
Still he doesn’t see himself as the best, preferring to talk about the good team spirit.
“We badminton players are like a family. As a group of players we support each other in whatever we do and this is for the good of the team. It helps bring us together as a closely knit unit and this is why Seychelles’ badminton has reached this far and is well-respected by local sports fans and feared by many on the African continent,” he noted.
Quick and agile on the court, the diminutive player, who builds his victories on short plays, looks to add to his already star-studded palmarès which includes team and men’s doubles bronze medals at the All-Africa Senior Championship in Algeria in 2006, team bronze medal at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algeria in 2007, team gold medal and men’s double silver medal at the All-Africa Senior Championship in Mauritius in 2007, men’s doubles gold medal at the Kenya International in 2008, and team silver medal, men’s singles and men’s doubles bronze medals at the All-Africa Senior Championship in Kenya in 2009.

Sports Awards of the Year 2009 - G.G. Nation SEY 01.02.2010
It’s Leveau-Agricole’s and Malcouzane’s titles
JAVELIN specialist Lindy Leveau-Agricole charted into new territories with her record fourth Sportswoman of the Year title, while badminton player Steve Malcouzane won the Sportsman of the Year crown for a first time on Friday at the NSC Exhibition Hall, Roche Caïman.
Guest of honour President James Michel presented the brand new huge floating cups to the two best athletes of the year 2009, while First Lady Nathalie Michel gave them their R15,000 cheques.
“It’s not a surprise. I expected it and I look forward to retain the title for a third consecutive win,” said 30-year-old Leveau-Agricole who has equalled weightlifter Janet Thélermont’s (now Georges) three wins in 2008.

Leveau-Agricole retained the Jeux de la Francophonie javelin gold medal with a Games record distance of 57.48m in 2009.
The first Seychellois male badminton player to win a singles medal – a bronze – in the African Senior Championships, Malcouzane also grabbed the men’s doubles bronze and team event silver in Mauritius.
“I did not expect to win the Sportsman of the Year title, but I knew I stood a good chance of winning. I’m happy I’ve done it,” the 27-year-old told Sports Nation.

Leveau-Agricole and Malcouzane also received trophies from Community Development, Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Vincent Meriton, certificates from Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Beach Resort general manager Ken Choo, mobile phones from Cable & Wireless chief executive Charles Hammond and return tickets to any European destination from Tessy Albert of Air Seychelles.
Besides President James Michel, First Lady Nathalie Michel and Minister Meriton, the other distinguished guests at the ceremony included Vice-President Joseph Belmont, ministers, principal secretaries and representatives of sponsors.
Male badminton player Georgie Cupidon and female weightlifter Clementina Agricole were chosen as the runners-up and they got R8,000, return tickets to any destination from Qatar Airways, trophies and certificates.
Third place finishers Tony Lespoir (canoe) and Juliette Ah-Wan (badminton) received R6,000, a trophy, a certificate and return tickets to Kenya from Kenya Airways.
Female weightlifter Katsia Télémaque and male weightlifter Charles Siméon were ranked fourth to win R4,000, a trophy and a certificate. Bodybuilder Ziad Al Adou Mekdachi and badminton player Katherina Paulin finished fifth to pocket R3,000, a trophy and a certificate.
Badminton player Alisen Camille succeeded volleyballer Marielle Bonne as Young Female Athlete of the Year, while swimmer Shane Mangroo has taken over the young Male Athlete of the Year crown from two-time winner Joel Dubel.
They both received R5,000, a trophy and a certificate from Cable & Wireless chief executive Charles Hammond and the company’s director for Human Resources and Administration Thomas Dauban.
“I knew I could win and I’m happy I’ve done it,’ said Camille, women’s singles gold medallist at the All-Africa Junior Championships in Ethiopia.
“The title has come as a surprise. I now have to work hard to keep it for at least another year,” said Mangroo, who reached six finals at the eighth African Junior Swimming Championships in Mauritius.
Runners-up Lissa Labiche (athletics) and Kervin Ghislain (badminton) received R4,000, a trophy and a certificate, third place finishers Shannon Austin (swimming) and Marcus Maria (football) got R3,000, a trophy and a certificate, fourth place finishers Steffie Mathiot (karate) and Anil Nibourette (table tennis) pocketed R2,000, a trophy and a certificate, while fifth place finishers Anniessa Benstrong (table tennis) and Jannick Ernesta (athletics) went home with R1,000, a trophy and a certificate.

The four special awards went to football referee Eddie Maillet (official of the year), Norbert Dogley (volunteer of the year), Gerard Bibi (coach of the year) and the Seychelles Domino Federation (best federation of the year). They all received a trophy and a framed certificate from Vice-President Belmont and Youth, Sports and Culture principal secretary Denis Rose.
The best primary school award was won by Anse Aux Pins and Anse Royale was chosen as the best secondary school to each receive R20,000 and a framed certificate from First Lady Michel and JJ Spirit Foundation chairman Jean-Paul Adam.
 

Badminton: Knockout competition -  Seychelles New Vision 16.11.2009 
Ah-Wan and Malcouzane singles winners
JULIETTE Ah-Wan showed why she is the African women’s singles champion with a comeback win in Saturday’s Knockout competition finals, while Georgie Cupidon again lost to Steve Malcouzane.
Inside a hot La Promenade Gymnasium, Ah-Wan dropped the first set, but banked on her experience to beat Catherina Paulin 2-1 (18-21, 21-17, 21-19) in an exciting women’s singles final encounter watched by a small crowd including Robert Auguste, the director for Federations Management and Development Division within the National Sports council.
While three-time African senior singles champion Ah-Wan won her match, former Sportsman of the Year Cupidon continued his miserable run against the shorter and agile Malcouzane in the men’s singles, losing yet another final 1-2 (21-19, 8-21, 11-21).
Ah-Wan and cousin Alisen Camille, who was crowned junior African ladies’ singles champion after three days of fierce competition at the All-Africa Junior Badminton Championship in Ethiopia, in August, teamed up to dispatch the pair of Paulin and Jessy Mancienne 2-0 (22-20, 21-14).
The men’s doubles title was won by Cupidon and Indonesian Nyoman Pryadi, who works at the Four Seasons hotel. They needed just two sets to post a 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) victory against Malcouzane and Kervin Ghislain.
Cupidon was again a winner in the mixed doubles alongside Camille and they defeated the duo of Ah-Wan and Malcouzane 2-0 (21-17, 21-14).
The winners and losing finalists won cash prizes for their efforts.

Return of badminton players and weightlifters from African championships - Seychelles Onlines 14.08.2009
Triumphant return for African junior champions
IT was another triumphant homecoming yesterday afternoon for young Seychellois athletes who have won a select number of medals in two major competitions in Africa.

All-Africa Junior Badminton Championship - GG Seychelles Onlines  11.08.2009
Camille does us proud with singles title
SHE has been spoken of in the same breath as local badminton great Juliette Ah-Wan, and it’s no surprise she has followed in her footsteps.
Shuttler Alisen Camille, 17, showed good form to imitate her three-time African senior singles champion cousin Juliette on Sunday, being crowned African junior women’s singles champion after three days of fierce competition at the All-Africa Junior Badminton Championship in Ethiopia.
Expectations were high among the Seychelles players, who did not take part in the mixed team event won by South Africa with a 3-2 victory over Mauritius.
With her head firmly on her shoulders, Camille was in a league of her own and didn’t drop a single set in five matches as she took giant steps to the top spot on the medals podium.
She opened her campaign with a 2-0 (21-9, 21-12) first-round win over a Sudanese player, then defeated an opponent from Botswana 2-0 (21-7, 21-8) in a second-round fixture. Against Ugandan top seed Shamim Bangi in the quarterfinal, she won 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) to set up a semifinal encounter with Mauritian Yeldi Louison. It proved to be a tough match-up but she survived the scare to win 2-0 (21-19, 23-21).
In the final she was all fired up, and Kate Foo Kune, who was on the other side of the net, really had no chance as Camille’s eyes were already on the gold medal. She wasted no time in dispatching the Mauritian 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) to capture gold – the first for a Seychellois shuttler in this age category.
Kate Foo Kune and Louison were the gold and silver medallists at last year’s Jeux de la Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan indien (CJSOI) hosted by Seychelles.
Fourth overall behind Marielle Bonne in the chase for the Young Female Athlete of the Year 2008 title, Camille won the Jeux de la CJSOI team event and mixed doubles gold medals and was a bronze medallist in the women’s doubles alongside Patricia Course.
Before her success at the weekend, Camille had gathered much experience when she competed in the 11th African Championships and Kenya International, reaching the quarterfinals at the Moi International Sports Complex, in Nairobi.
It’s true, then, when they say success runs in the family!
Who knows, maybe Camille can perform better than her cousin Ah-Wan. It’s going to be interesting to watch the two challenge each other in local competitions.
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, Kervin Ghislain reached the quarterfinal, but Joel Dubel lost in the first round.
Ghislain and Dubel teamed up in the men’s doubles to get as far as the quarterfinals, while in the mixed doubles Dubel and Camille were stopped in the quarters.

Badminton -   Three for All-Africa Junior Championship   GG Seychelles Onlines  01.08.2009
SEYCHELLES will be represented at the All-Africa Junior Badminton Championship in Ethiopia from August 2-9 by three players.
The three selected for the trip are Alisen Camille, Joel Dubel and Kervin Ghislain.
A lot is expected of these three young players, who have gathered quite a lot of experience after taking part in tougher tournaments like the All-Africa Senior Badminton Championship and the Mauritius Open.
Coach Gerard Bibi will accompany the players and they are expected back on August 13.
Local players did not win medals the last time the country took part in the same championship in 2005 in Ethiopia.

les Internationaux de Maurice -  Ah-Wan, Cupidon et Malcouzane à l’épreuve   Seychelles Onlines G.G. 26.06.2009
LES meilleures raquettes de l’Océan Indien et d’Afrique sont actuellement à Maurice où ils participent aux Internationaux de Maurice qui ont débuté hier au Centre national de badminton à Rose-Hill.
Trois Seychellois, à savoir Juliette Ah-Wan, Georgie Cupidon et Steve Malcouzane, sont dans l’île sœur pour ce rendez-vous très convoité et qui voit aussi la participation des Indiens, Sud-Africains, Nigérians, Guatemalais, Réunionnais, Iraniens, Tchèques, Slovaques et Chinois.
Ah-Wan et Cupidon feront équipe en double mixte pour tenter de monter sur la plus haute marche du podium après avoir terminé deuxièmes en 2007. Le duo seychellois avait perdu 0-2 (9-21 et 17-21) contre la paire sud-africaine Chris Dednam et Michelle Edwards pour remporter la médaille d’argent de cette compétition de catégorie One Star Tournament.
Cupidon jouera aussi la compétition de double hommes et il aura Malcouzane comme partenaire.
En simple, ce sont Ah-Wan (dames) et Malcouzane (hommes) qui défendent les quintucolors des Seychelles.
Les trois raquettes seychelloises sont accompagnées de l’entraîneur Calix Francourt.
Pendant les quatre jours de compétition (du 25 au 28 juin), les organisateurs espèrent voir des joutes de haut niveau dans un tournoi d’un niveau élevé.
C'est Yonex qui offre le cash prize de 5,000 dollars américains qui sera distribué entre les vainqueurs, les vaincus et les demi-finalistes pour le simple hommes, le simple dames, le double hommes.
A noter que des discussions concernant la possibilité d'avoir plus d'échanges entre les îles de la région, notamment la Réunion, les Seychelles, Maurice et Madagascar, auront lieu en marge de la compétition.
Selon le président de la Mauritius Badminton Association, M. Raj Gaya, il serait bien d’organiser une Coupe de l'Océan Indien tous les ans et monter des stages communs dans les pays de la région parce que voyager loin coûte de plus en plus cher.

ALL AFRICA CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 (Nairobi- Kenya) (Z5) 17 - 24 Avril 2009

MS	WS	MD	WD	DMX
NGR Ola.FAGBEMI	SEY Juliette AH WAN	NGR Ola FAGBEMI Jinkam IFRAIMU	NGR Grace DANIEL MARY GIDEON	NGR Ola FAGBEMI Grace DANIEL

Badminton: Curtain-raiser competition - Seychelles Onlines  28.05.2009 
Top seeds knocked off pedestal
A month after reclaiming the African women’s singles title, Juliette Ah-Wan was surprised by Katherina Paulin in Saturday’s Curtain-raiser final at the La Promenade Gymnasium.
Not only Ah-Wan was knocked off the pedestal, male number one Georgie Cupidon lost to Steve Malcouzane for the third time in a row.
Paulin and Malcouzane were singles bronze medallists at last month’s 11th African Senior Badminton Championships in Kenya.
Ah-Wan surely came into the final wanting to reclaim the title won last year by cousin Alisen Camille. The former two-time Sportswoman of the Year did not compete in 2008 as she was expecting her first baby, who was there to see her lose on Saturday.
Paulin said she came into the match determined to win.
“I told myself: ‘you have to win today’ (Saturday). I played calmly and I have to say it’s a rare win for me over Juliette,” Paulin told Sports Nation.
She took 25 minutes to win the match 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) to make Ah-Wan wait at least another year before reaching double-digit wins in the annual competition.
Malcouzane had beaten Cupidon in the Closing Cup final last year and in the quarterfinal of the African Senior Badminton Championships. He did it again in style on Saturday with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) score.

“He (Cupidon) didn’t show much resistance. So I did what I had to do. I’m happy and hope to get more wins,” said Malcouzane, who went to win the mixed doubles with Ah-Wan as partner.
Against the pair of Cupidon and Camille, the Malcouzane/Ah-Wan duo won the final 2-1 (21-16, 19-21, 21-16).
Absent in 2007 as Nicholas Jumaye won the men’s singles title, Cupidon came back last year to reclaim it to bring his number of wins to nine in 10 years.
The women’s doubles was won by Ah-Wan and Camille on a 2-0 (22-20, 21-12) score against Paulin and Cynthia Course.
Cupidon’s only victory came in the men’s doubles with Kervin Ghislain as partner. They came from a set down to beat the pair of Malcouzane and Joel Dubel 2-1 (11-21, 21-14, 21-17).
The finalists received cash prizes.

11th African Senior Badminton Championships -  Triumphant return for Seychellois shuttlers  Seychelles Nation G.G. 28.04.2009
WHEN the Kenya Airways flight touched down at Seychelles International Airport on Sunday afternoon, the Seychellois shuttlers onboard probably expected a warm welcome.
They were right as Community Development, Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Vincent Meriton was there to congratulate and present them with flowers following their success at the recent 11th African Senior Badminton Championships in Kenya.
Also present at the airport to congratulate the players were Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (Socga) president Antonio Gopal and high officials from Socga and the National Sports Council.
African female badminton icon Juliette Ah-Wan won Seychelles’ only gold medal at the championships, beating South African Stacey Doubel 2-0 (21-15, 21-7) in the final for a third African women’s singles title in eight years.
Speaking to Sports Nation after the photo session, Ah-Wan said: “I felt good to win the singles title a third time in my career. The triumph kind of surprised me as I didn’t feature among the top seeds.”
The shuttler, who turns 28 tomorrow, added that she banked on her experience to hit the jackpot once again.
“My opponents were physically stronger than me. But I played well technically and banked on my experience to guide me through the matches,” said Ah-Wan.
This was the second time Ah-Wan had beaten Doubel to become the African champion. In 2006 in Algiers, Algeria, she whitewashed the South African 2-0 (21-10, 21-12) in the final for her second singles title.

Twice Sportswoman of the Year, in 2000 and 2007, queen-of-the-court Ah-Wan first became African champion in 2002 in Casablanca, Morocco, when she trounced Nigerian number one Grace Daniel 3-0 (7-3 7-4 7-3) in the final.
Seychelles also won two silver and four bronze medals at the championships played at the Moi International Sports Complex in Kasarani, Nairobi.
The mixed doubles duo of Ah-Wan and Georgie Cupidon earned a silver medal following their 1-2 (21-18, 20-22, 16-21) loss to the Nigerian pair of Grace Daniel and Oluwa Fagbemi.
The other silver came in the team event after Seychelles lost 1-3 to South Africa in the final.
Seychelles thus failed to defend the mixed doubles and team event gold medals won in 2007 in Mauritius.
“Victory was within our grasp in the mixed doubles and team event. We surrendered the titles because we committed too many mistakes. It’s as simple as that,” added Ah-Wan.
The bronze medals were won by Ah-Wan and Catherina Paulin in the women’s doubles after they lost 1-2 (19-21, 21-19, 17-21) to a South African duo, by Paulin in the ladies’ singles after her 0-2 (13-21, 17-21) semifinal loss to Doubel, by Steve Malcouzane in the men’s singles after falling 0-2 (18-21, 13-21) to a Nigerian, and by the pair of Cupidon and Malcouzane in the men’s doubles after their 0-2 (10-21, 18-21) defeat by a Nigerian pair in the semifinal.
The other two players who formed the Seychellois team were Alisen Camille and Joel Dubel.

Badminton -   Ah-Wan reconquers Africa        Seychelles onlines G.G. 25.04.2009
SHE’S back as the top woman player in Africa after winning the singles gold medal at the 11th African Senior Badminton Championships in Kenya.
On Thursday night, when the curtains came down on the championships at the Moi International Sports Complex in Kasarani, Nairobi, Juliette Ah-Wan was too strong for South African top seed Stacey Doubel, whom she beat 2-0 (21-15, 21-7) in the final for a third African singles title in eight years.This was the second time Ah-Wan, who is well known for her past exploits on the African continent, had beaten Doubel to become African champion. In 2006 in Algiers she whitewashed the South African 2-0 (21-10, 21-12) for her second singles title.
Twice Sportswoman of the Year, in 2000 and 2007, queen-of-the-court Ah-Wan first became African champion in 2002 in Casablanca, Morocco, when she trounced Nigerian number one Grace Daniel 3-0 (7-3 7-4 7-3) in the final.
With the all-important gold, Ah-Wan emerged as the best shuttler on the Seychellois team after taking a silver and a bronze as well. She earned the silver medal in the mixed doubles alongside partner Georgie Cupidon after a 1-2 (21-18, 20-22, 16-21) loss to the Nigerian pair of Grace Daniel and Oluwa Fagbemi.
Her bronze came in the women’s doubles with Catherina Paulin as her partner after they lost 1-2 (19-21, 21-19, 17-21) to a South African duo.
Ah-Wan’s singles gold was a huge relief for her and the rest of the team, who had been predicted to defend the mixed doubles and team event gold medals won in Mauritius in 2007.
Ah-Wan and Cupidon failed in their bid for a third mixed doubles title in a row. They first won it in Algiers in December 2006 with a 2-1 (21-16, 17-21, 21-16) victory over South Africans James Doram and Michelle Edwards.
Inside the National Badminton Centre in Rose-Hill, Mauritius, the Seychellois African number one mixed doubles pair were up against the South African duo of Edwards and partner Chris Dednam. The final score was 2-1 (21-15, 11-21, 21-15) in favour of Seychelles.
Seychelles won three other bronze medals in Kenya, through Catherina Paulin in the ladies’ singles after her 0-2 (13-21, 17-21) semifinal loss to Doubel, Steve Malcouzane in the men’s singles, who fell 0-2 (18-21, 13-21) to a Nigerian, and the pair of Cupidon and Malcouzane in the men’s doubles after their 0-2 (10-21, 18-21) defeat to a Nigerian pair in the semifinal.
On Monday, Seychelles failed to defend the mixed team gold medal, losing a “pulsating final” 1-3 to South Africa, who reclaimed the title they lost for the first time in 2007 after an eight-year reign that started in 2000.
In the mixed doubles, Cupidon and Ah-Wan fell to the pair of Chris Dednam and Mitchell Edwards in a game that lasted almost one hour. Malcouzane then lost the men’s singles match 0-2 (14-21, 22-24) to Chris Dednam.
Paulin beat Doubel 2-0 (21-18 24-22) in the women’s singles to halve the score at 1-2.
Cupidon and Malcouzane then teamed up for the men’s doubles game. They had to win to force a decisive fifth women’s doubles match, but they failed in their bid as they lost 1-2 (21-18, 17-21, 19-21) in an evenly balanced encounter.
Oluwa Fagbemi of Nigeria lifted the men’s singles title after beating compatriot Jinkan Ifrahimu in the final. Nigeria also won the women’s and men’s doubles gold medals.

ALL AFRICA CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 (Nairobi- Kenya) (Z5) 17 - 24 Avril 2009
1° R.S.A.	2° SEYCHELLES	3° MAURICE	4° EGYPT
5° OUGANDA - 6° KENYA - 7° MAROC - 8° CAMEROUN - 9° BOTSWANA

Badminton: African Championship and Kenya International - GG Seychelles Onlines22.04.2009 
Seychelles lose team event title
THE SEYCHELLES team have failed in their bid to defend the mixed team gold medal at the 11th African Senior Badminton Championships in Kenya.
On Monday at the Moi International Sports Complex in Kasarani, Nairobi, they just could not find a way to victory as South Africa came all out to reclaim the title they lost for the first time in 2007, putting an end to their eight-year reign going back to 2000.
Seychelles lost 1-3 in what reports have described as ‘a pulsating final’.
In the men’s singles, Steve Malcouzane lost 0-2 (14-21, 22-24) to Chris Dednam, but Catherina Paulin won 2-0 (21-18 24-22) against Stacey Doubel in the women’s singles to tie the score at 1-1.
In the mixed doubles, Seychelles’ African top seeds Georgie Cupidon and Juliette Ah-Wan fell to the pair of Chris Dednam and Michelle Edwards in a game that lasted almost an hour.
When Cupidon and Malcouzane teamed up for the men’s doubles, they had to win to force a decisive fifth women’s doubles match, but they failed in their bid as they lost 1-2 (21-18, 17-21, 19-21) in an evenly balanced encounter.
In Mauritius in 2007, Seychelles won the team event gold medal for the first time with a 3-2 final win to dethrone South Africa.
Losing semifinalists Mauritius (1-3 to South Africa) and Egypt (0-3 to Seychelles) are the bronze medallists of this year’s mixed team event competition.
The end of the mixed team event has paved the way for the individual events, which started yesterday.
The Seychellois mixed doubles pair of Ah-Wan and Cupidon aim to defend their title and extend their winning run to three.
After getting a 2-1 (21-16, 17-21, 21-16) win over the South African pair of James Doram and Michelle Edwards to be crowned African champions for the first time in Algiers, Algeria, in December 2006, Ah-Wan and Cupidon won another epic final against a South African duo, Edwards and partner Chris Dednam, inside the National Badminton Centre in Rose-Hill, Mauritius, in 2007. The final score was 2-1 (21-15, 11-21, 21-15) in favour of the Seychellois.
Seychelles won two more medals – a silver and a bronze – during the same championships in Mauritius in 2007.
Cupidon and Malcouzane lost the men’s doubles final 0-2 (17-21, 16-21) to the Dednam brothers – Chris and Roelof – of South Africa, and the women’s doubles pair of Ah-Wan and Paulin grabbed the bronze medal after losing 0-2 (17-21, 19-21) to eventual gold medallists Michelle Edwards and Chantal Botts of South Africa.

Badminton: African Championship and Kenya International - Seychelles on titles-defence mission    G. G. Seychelles Onlines  13.04.2009

THE Seychellois badminton team leave the country next Thursday for Nairobi, Kenya, on a mission – the defence of the African Championships’ team and mixed doubles titles.
Six shuttlers – Georgie Cupidon, Steve Malcouzane, Joel Dubel, Juliette Ah-Wan, Catherina Paulin and Alisen Camille – have been selected to make the team, whose task is to defend Seychelles’ colours at the 11th African Championships (from April 17-24) and Kenya International (from April 25-26) at the Moi International Sports Complex.

Coaches Gerard Bibi and Calix Francourt, as well as Seychelles Badminton Association chairman Michel Bau, will accompany the team to Nairobi.
Speaking to Sports Nation, Mr Bau said: “The team are going to Kenya with the aim of defending the titles we won in Mauritius in 2007.”
“At the same time, we will do our best in the other events.”
The players are expected back on Sunday April 26 but could delay their return depending on the circumstances.

“Depending on how well we perform in the African Championships and the level of the competitors from other countries, we will enter for the Kenya Open tournament. We will give priority to African Championships’ gold medallists,” said Mr Bau.
“If they (the players) reach the finals of the Kenya International on Sunday April 26, they will only return on Thursday April 30.”
Seychellois put African titles on the line
In Mauritius in 2007, Seychelles won the team event gold medal for the first time after getting a 3-2 final win to dethrone South Africa, who had ruled since 2000.
Ah-Wan, Cupidon, Shirley Etienne, Malcouzane, Paulin, Nicholas Jumaye and Cynthia Course made up the gold medal-winning Seychelles team.

Malcouzane and Paulin gave Seychelles a good start in the final when they won the mixed doubles match on a 2-0 (21-15, 21-13) score against Chris Dednam and Michelle Edwards before Ah-Wan doubled the advantage with 2-0 (21-11, 21-16) victory against Kerry Lee Harrington in the ladies’ singles.
South Africa made a game out of the final with Chris Dednam beating Malcouzane 2-0 (21-11, 21-16) in the men’s singles and the pair of Michelle Edwards/Chantal Botts defeating the ladies’ doubles Ah-Wan/Etienne duo 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).
Malcouzane and Cupidon had the task of winning the men’s doubles against Roelof Dednam and Wilhem Viljeon to give Seychelles its first ever team event gold medal. They did not disappoint, getting a 2-1 (21-16, 11-21, 21-15) win to send the team into raptures.
Mauritius and Zambia were the team event bronze medallists.
In the mixed doubles event of the individual competition, Ah-Wan and Cupidon retained their title won for the first time in Algiers, Algeria, in December 2006 with a 2-1 (21-16, 17-21, 21-16) victory over the South African pair of James Doram and Michelle Edwards.
Inside the National Badminton Centre in Rose-Hill, Mauritius, the Seychellois African number one mixed doubles pair was up against another South African duo, which included the same Edwards with Chris Dednam as her partner. The final score was 2-1 (21-15, 11-21, 21-15) in favour of Seychelles.
Seychelles won two more medals – a silver and a bronze – during the same championships.
Cupidon and Malcouzane joined forces to reach the men’s doubles final but lost 0-2 (17-21, 16-21) to the Dednam brothers – Chris and Roelof – of South Africa to settle for the silver medal.
The pair of Ah-Wan and Paulin won the bronze medal after losing 0-2 (17-21, 19-21) to eventual gold medallists Michelle Edwards and Chantal Botts of South Africa.
The only title the Seychelles badminton team failed to defend in Mauritius was the ladies’ singles.
Champion in 2002 in Morocco and 2006 in Algeria, Ah-Wan lost in the quarterfinal to Nigerian Grace Daniels, who went on to win the gold medal.
Cupidon/Malcouzane men’s doubles defending champs
In last year’s Kenya International, Cupidon and Malcouzane triumphed in the men’s doubles with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-19) win over H Patel and P Ruto of Kenya in the final.
They won their first match 2-0 (21-5, 21-12) against the Kenyan pair of Taha and Mwangi, beat another Kenyan team of S Odundo and Kinyua 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) in the quarterfinal and defeated the Ugandan duo of Ebayo and Mihigo 2-0 (21-6, 21-13) in the semis.
Prize money of US $5,000 will be at stake in the Kenya International, which forms part of the African badminton circuit compromising five other international tournaments – Algeria, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria.
It is also a Badminton World Federation-sanctioned tournament, which will be played on five wooden courts.
 

Badminton: Closing Cup competition - New singles winners as season ends   G. G.Seychelles nations 09.12.2008

WHEN was the last time Georgie Cupidon lost a singles final here?
It was probably in 2003 against Nicholas Jumaye. But has Steve Malcouzane ever beaten the number one? Yes he has, but it’s been a long time and he doesn’t remember when exactly.

“I think it was in 2001 or 2002. I’m not too sure,” said Malcouzane to Sports Nation after holding his nerve in a 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) victory over good friend Cupidon in Saturday’s men’s singles final of the season-ending Closing Cup competition, played at the La Promenade Gymnasium.“It’s a nice victory. I usually best Georgie in training, but not in competitions. I’m happy I did it today (Saturday) after coming so close in the knockout competition final on November 15,” said the 26-year-old, who lost the final 1-2 (21-11, 19-21, 19-21) after leading all the way.With Cupidon involved in the men’s singles final, ladies’ number one Juliette Ah-Wan watched from the stands as Catherina Paulin edged Cynthia Course 2-1 (21-19, 14-21, 21-17) in a tight ladies’ singles final.
“It was an interesting final with a lot of long rallies. I had to change my playing tactics to get the win,” said 23-year-old Paulin.
Course booked her ticket to the final with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) semifinal victory against Ah-Wan, who said she had an off day.
Course then joined forces with Paulin in the ladies’ doubles final to beat the duo of Ah-Wan and Alisen Camille 2-0.
It was indeed a bad day in terms of results for Ah-Wan as she also lost the mixed doubles final along with partner Malcouzane after succumbing to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Cupidon and Camille.
Victory in the men’s doubles final went to Cupidon and Joel Dubel after their 2-0 defeat of Malcouzane and Kervin Ghislain.

Le Double Mixte Seychellois  Georgie CUPIDON / Juliette AH-WAN ne figure plus dans le classement W.B.F./B.C.A.
africa-badminton.com 04/12/2008
Une erreur informatique a du se produire dans le classement WBF/BCA au 04/12/2008
L'examen de la fiche des résultats des 12-24 mois montre bien que les points acquis aux derniers J.O. de Pékin (4800) font que la paire Seychelloise conserve la place de N°1 Afrique à ce jour. (INFRA - Source W.B.F. au 04/12/2008)
 

Pair ID : 22730 World Rank : 1 Ranking Points : 7020 Ranking Date : November 27 2008

Seychelles badminton loses coach Luo - 17.11.2008  G. G. Seychelles Nations

SEYCHELLES badminton is about to lose an important piece of its puzzle later this month. Chinese Luo Guo Hui will move back to his native land after a second spell as coach here.

“I’m leaving Seychelles for China, but my heart will always beat for Seychelles. I love this country. It was not an easy decision to make, but I have to move back to China to take care of my family,” said coach Luo, who first came to Seychelles in 1995.Luo worked here until 2001 before being hired as Mauritius coach in 2001 and in March 2003, he was back in Seychelles. He was the country’s team’s head coach until March this year when his contract expired.
“I was offered a new two-year contract but I refused not because I don’t want to work here, but because my wife and children miss me. I was given an option to stay for another year, but I decided upon a six-month contract to help the team for the CJSOI Games.
“I’m happy with what I’ve achieved during the time I’ve spent here. I’ve produced African champions in ladies’ singles and mixed doubles. It’s a big achievement. I’m sure I could have done a lot more if I was to stay here,” said Luo, whose wife is a Seychellois and they have two children – an eight-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter.
Coach Luo added that he will stay in contact with Seychelles Badminton Association chairman Michel Bau and his strong executive committee to follow the progress of Seychellois badminton players.
“If my help is needed in any way, I’m prepared to come back and play a key role. While in China, I’ll be working to improve the sporting relationship between the two countries. I’ll try my best to see that Seychellois athletes competing in badminton, table tennis and swimming benefit from training camps in China,” he added.
Coach Luo leaves on Monday November 24.

Spectacular play in knockout competition  17.11.2008  G. G. Seychelles Nations

THE usual faces were at it again in Saturday afternoon’s knockout competition finals and they put on some strong displays, much to the delight of the small crowd.
All the action took place inside the La Promenade Gymnasium and on a hot day, the players suffered a lot from the heat.
Playing in her first singles final in more than a year, female number one player Juliette Ah-Wan was slow to get into high gear, dropping the opening set 19-21 against her cousin Alisen Camille, who succeeded her as Curtain-raiser champion in June with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-7) win over Danielle Jupiter in her first-ever final.
The reigning sportslady of the year regained her composure in the second set, during which she trailed just once at 1-2, pulling level at one set all with a 21-11 victory after Camille committed too many unforced errors.
After breaking Ah-Wan’s service to lead 1-0 in the third set, Camille, 17 and double gold medallist at the Sixth CJSOI Games in July, threatened to stretch Ah-Wan to the limit, but that was the only time she was in control. Camille have surely gathered valuable experience and learned from the former African singles champion although she lost the third set 10-21.
Sportsman of the year Georgie Cupidon breathed a sigh of relief when he reached game-point first in the tight third set of the men’s singles final and then punched the air in ecstasy as the shuttlecock dropped into Steve Malcouzane’s half of the court after hitting the top of the net. 
Cupidon had survived a scare and had stared defeat in the face, but used his vast experience to get himself out of troubled waters.After Malcouzane made a comeback from 0-3 down to completely dominate the first set, which he won 21-11, Cupidon had to react to stay alive. He trailed 0-3 but equalised at 4-4 to then lead 5-4, 11-7 and 17-11, but Malcouzane used a 6-1 run to pull level at 18-18. In the end, Cupidon had the last word, winning the second set 21-19.
A third set was needed to decide the winner and it proved to be an exciting one with long rallies and spectacular play.
Looking much fitter, Malcouzane led 12-8 and 15-12, but when his smash went straight into the net, it gave Cupidon the opportunity to level at 15-15. The country’s number one male player then relied a lot on intelligent play to stay in control until 19-18, but Malcouzane did not give in easily, equalising at 19-19 to add more suspense to the match.
Cupidon scored the game’s final two points to celebrate another win over good friend Malcouzane.
The two players joined forces in the men’s doubles final to beat the duo of coach Gerald Bibi and youngster Kervin Ghislain 2-0 (21-18, 21-11).
The ladies’ doubles was won by Catherina Paulin and Cynthia Course on a 2-0 (30-29, 21-15) score against Ah-Wan and Camille.
It was really a bad day for Camille as she also lost her third final – the mixed doubles with Cupidon as partner – 0-2 (19-21, 14-21) to Ah-Wan and Malcouzane.
The singles winners and runners-up got R400 and R300, while the cash prizes for the doubles were R250 and R200.
While Camille, who got R700, has vowed to get at least a win in the next competition – the Closing Cup to be played from December 1-6 – Ah-Wan was happy with her performance worth R850.
“At first I didn’t want to play the singles, but I’m happy I’ve won the title. The ladies’ doubles final was not easy at all. Alisen (Camille) and I lacked coordination on the court and it’s normal because we are not used to playing together. In the mixed doubles, we played better than our opponents and our experience came in handy,” said 27-year-old Ah-Wan.
As for Cupidon, who also went home with R850, he had this to say: “We all witnessed a very good level of badminton today. All the finalists came out to win something and it was very encouraging to see young players challenge the seniors. This is good for Seychelles badminton, although coach Luo is leaving soon.”

Georgie CUPIDON 10/11/1981 - (27ans) - Africa-badminton 31/08/2008
Juliette AH-WHAN 29/04/1981 - (27 ans) 

Le meilleur des doubles de la représentation Afrique ...

La paire seychelloise composée de Georgie Cupidon et Juliette Ah-Whan classés N°1 Afrique et 113° mondiaux a été sélectionnée le 5 mai 2008 pour sa première participation olympique au titre des meilleurs africains en double mixte.  opposés aux polonais Robert Mateusiak et Nadiezda Kostiuczyk  N°11 mondiaux, ils  ont eu du mal a entrer dans le match se faisant battre 08/21 au premier set. Ils se sont bien repris lors du second en marquant 19 points et perdant ce second set 19/21.
Avec 27 points marqués sur les deux sets, le duo seychellois a fait le meilleur résultats des doubles africains (hommes/dames).
Le résultat est d'autant plus élogieux que Juliette Ah-WHan avait été absente des courts de janvier à juin pour cause de grossesse et qu'elle a su revenir à son haut niveau en à peine 5 semaines.
Respectivement âgées de 27 ans, les deux seychellois peuvent envisager une participation aux prochains J.O. de Londres en 2012.

XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, August 8-24 -  Nations SC. Onlines 22.08.2008
Impressions of Seychellois athletes who competed in Beijing

Male shuttler and flag bearer Georgie Cupidon: “It was a great experience and with a lot of surprises in the badminton competition. China expected to win all five gold medals but got only three.

“Competition-wise, we played well despite losing our first match. We were slow to react in the first set, but we got our act together in the second.
“We lost after committing some mistakes late in the second set otherwise we could have forced a third and decisive set.
“It was also nice to meet a number of superstars. They were very down to earth and they got along well with other Olympians.”
Female shuttler Juliette Ah-Wan: “I went to Beijing to compete although I knew it was going to be tough.
“At first I asked myself: ‘What are you doing here?’ I never expected this feeling. I just can’t find the words to explain how I felt there.
“The opening ceremony was great and it was at this point that I got into the Olympics mood and spirit. It was great.
“I met a number of world stars and took photos with some of them. I’m going to cherish these moments. It was unbelievable.”

PALMARES DU BADMINTON AFRICAIN DES DOUBLES AUX  J.O. PEKIN 2008 africa-badminton.com 12/08/2008

Le duo seychellois Georgie CUPIDON & Juliette AH-WAN est celui qui
a réalisé la meilleure performance de tous les doubles africains confondus
en marquant 27 points contre les polonais MATEUSIAK Robert & KOSTIUCZYK
Nadiezda (08/21 - 19/21).
La paire sud africaine Christoffel & Roelof DEDNAM a quant à elle marqué
26 points contre les américains et l'autre paire sud africaine Michelle Claire
EDWARDS & Chantal BOTTS n'a pu inscrire que 18 points contre les chinoises
de Tapeï.

MD/WD/MX J.O. PEKIN 2008		RENCONTRES				SETS			POINTS			DUREE SUR COURTS
Clt	Joueurs	jouées	Victoires	Défaites	#	Gagnés	Perdus	#	Marqués	Encaissés	#	Présence
1°	CUPIDON Georgie HA-WHAN Juliette	1	0	1	-1	0	2	-2	27	42	-15	21'
2°	DEDNAM Christoffel DEDNAM Roelof	1	0	1	-1	0	2	-2	26	42	-16	17'
3°	EDWARDS Michelle BOTTS Chantal	1	0	1	-1	0	2	-2	18	42	-24	17'
	TOTAUX Doubles Afrique	3	0	3	-3	0	6	-6	71	126	-55	00h55'

XXIX Olympiad in Beijing,  Mixed doubles pair lose first match  Seychelles Onlines - 13.08.2008

THE playing experience lasted 21 minutes for Seychellois shuttlers Georgie Cupidon and Juliette Ah-Wan at the 29th Olympiad.

Paired in the mixed doubles, the Olympic rookies lost their round-of-16-match to Kostiuczyk Nadiezda and Robert Mateusiak of Poland yesterday morning in Beijing.
Inside the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Cupidon and Ah-Wan – the country’s reigning Sportsman and Sportslady of the year – had trouble getting their game plan working as they trailed 0-4, 1-5, 2-6, 3-9, 4-10, 5-11, 6-19 and 8-20 before losing the first game 8-21 in eight minutes.
The number one-ranked mixed doubles pair in Africa regained their composure in the second game and raised their level of play. After trailing 0-2, they equalised at 2-2, 5-5, 6-6 and 8-8 before taking a two-point – 10-8 – lead.
Kostiuczyk and Mateusiak pulled level at 10-10 and the score was tied three more times at 11-11, 12-12 and 13-13. Trailing 18-20, Ah-Wan and Cupidon reduced the deficit to one point at 19-20 but they could not pull level, allowing Kostiuczyk and Mateusiak to score the game’s last point. The second game ended 21-19 after 13 minutes of play.
Kostiuczyk and Mateusiak have now advanced to the quarterfinals.
Ah-Wan and Cupidon are Seychelles’ first badminton pair to qualify for the Olympic Games. The country’s illustrious mixed doubles duo finished first in Africa with 10,700 points in the Badminton World Federation rankings.

Georgie CUPIDON ( SEY)
Juliette AH-WAN ( SEY)

  OUT ...

Ils perdent le match sur le score de : 08/21 - 19/21
contre les polonais MATEUSIAK Robert & KOSTIUCZYK Nadiezda

C.J.S.O.I   Badminton - Deux médailles d’or pour les Seychelles            G.G. Seychelles Nations 02/08/2008
PRÉSENTS dans trois des cinq finales de la compétition individuelle de badminton, Joel Dubel a enlevé la victoire à deux reprises, hier, au Gymnase de La Promenade.
 

En doubles garçons, Dubel et Kervin Ghislain ont complètement dominé leurs adversaires réunionnais – Jérémie Sellambron et Xavier Chang Fung – pour s’adjuger la médaille d’or. Ils ont joué à leur guise dans une finale à sens unique qu’ils ont remportée sur le score de 2-0 (21-15 et 21-12) après 19 minutes de jeu.
Les Seychelles ont aussi remporté la médaille d’or du double mixte. Contre les Mauriciens Jérôme Joson et Kate Foo Kune, Dubel et Alisen Camille ont perdu le premier set sur le score de 18-21. Poussés par le public, Dubel et Camille ont mis la pendule à l’heure en enlevant la victoire dans le deuxième set. Le score : 21-15.
Un troisième set était donc nécessaire pour départager les deux équipes. Dubel et Camille ont connu un bon début dans le set décisif, menant aux scores  4-1, 9-1, 11-4, 16-7, 18-8, 18-11 avant de mettre fin à la rencontre avec un score final de 21-11.
Dans la finale du simple garçons, Dubel a commis trop d’erreurs pour perdre son match 1-2 (19-21, 21-18 et 9-21) contre le Réunionnais Maxime Vanagamoudiar.

« Je suis très fier de moi-même et je suis très content d’avoir remporté, au total, trois médailles d’or à ces Jeux. J’étais fatigué mais le soutien du public m’a, à chaque fois, poussé à aller chercher les victoires, à l’exception du dernier match en simple », a dit Dubel qui espère retenir son titre de Meilleur Jeune Athlète.
Camille a pour part eu ceci à dire : « Le match du double mixte était assez difficile. Il y avait beaucoup d’ambiance dans le gymnase et on ne voulait pas la gâcher avec une défaite. »
Quant à Ghislain, il a indiqué que son match du doubles garçons était assez difficile.
« J’ai donné le meilleur de moi-même pour donner la victoire à l’équipe », a-t-il dit.
Pour récompenser les exploits de Ghislain, Camille et Dubel, M. Vassou Sunnasse du Seystyle Tailoring en signe de satisfaction a offert à chacun d’eux de petites sommes d’argent.
A noter que les Seychelles sont les champions de la compétition par équipes.
Les médaillés de la compétition individuelle
Simple fille : Or Kate Foo Kune (Maurice), Argent Yeldy Louison (Maurice), Bronze Mathilde Lepetit (Réunion) et Cariane Alvergeb (Réunion)
Simple garçons : Or Maxime Vanagamoudiar (Réunion), Argent Joel Dubel (Seychelles), Bronze Jérôme Joson (Maurice) et Amit Alleck (Maurice)
Doubles filles : Kate Foo Kune et Yeldy Louison (Maurice), Cariane Alvergne et Fanny Fanchin (Réunion), Bronze Sheena Meghoo et Melissa Tang (Maurice) et Alisen Camille et Patricia Course (Seychelles)
Doubles garçons : Kervin Ghislain et Joel Dubel (Seychelles), Argent Jérémie Sellambron et Xavier Chan Fung Ting (Réunion), Bronze Jérôme Joson et Amit Alleck (Maurice) et Christopher Paul et David Cheung (Maurice)
Double mixte : Or Joel Dubel et Alisen Camille (Seychelles), Argent Jérôme Joson et Kate Foo Kune (Maurice), Bronze Yeldy Louison et Christopher Paul (Maurice) et Barbara Bernard et Jérémie Sellambron (Réunion).

C.J.S.O.I   Résultats des matches joués hier         Seychelles.Nations Onlines 01.08.2008  
Simple dames demi-finales
Kate Foo Kune (Maurice) bat Cariane Alvergne (Réunion) 2-0 (21-8, 21-11).
Yeldi Louison (Maurice) bat Mathilde Lepetit (Réunion) 2-0 (21-7, 21-7).
Simple garçon demi-finales
Joel Dubel (Seychelles) bat Amit Alleck (Maurice) 2-1 (21-17, 18-21, 21-18).
Maxime Vanagamoudiar (Réunion) bat Jérôme Joson (Maurice) 2-0(21-17, 21-16).
Doubles dames demi-finales
Kate Foo Kune et Yeldi Louison (Maurice) battent Alisen Camille et Patricia Course (Seychelles) 2-0 (21-11, 21-11).
Cariane Alvergne et Fanny Fanchin (Réunion) battent S. Meghoo et M. Tang (Maurice) 2-0 (21-11, 21-14).
Doubles garçons demi-finales
J. Sellambron et Xavier Chan Fung Ting (Réunion) battent Jérôme Joson et Amit Alleck (Maurice) 2-0 (21-13, 21-18).
Kervin Ghislain et Joel Dubel (Seychelles) battent C. Paul et D. Cheung (Maurice) 2-0 (21-13, 21-11).
Double Mixte
Alisen Camille et Joel Dubel (Seychelles) battent Yeldi Louison et C. Paul (Maurice) 2-0 (21-15, 21-19).
Kate Foo Kune et Jérôme Joson (Maurice) battent J. Sellambron et B. Bernard (Reunion) 2-0 (21-8, 21-11).

6es Jeux de CJSOI  Badminton    Les Seychellois en Or        G.G. Seychelles.Nations Onlines 29.07.2008
LE badminton a donné, hier, aux Seychelles sa première médaille. Une en Or, remportée à la fin de la compétition par équipes des 6es Jeux de CJSOI.
  
C’est le Vice-Président Joseph Belmont en personne qui a présenté la médaille aux heureux gagnants, ainsi qu’aux joueurs Mauriciens (qui remportent la médaille d’argent), et aux Réunionnais (qui ont pris le bronze).
Composée du capitaine Kervin Ghislain, Joel Dubel, Richie Course, Christian Toussaint, Aaron Vidot, Alisen Camille, Patricia Course, Alexina Larue, Ginnie Bibi et Chlorie Cadeau, la formation seychelloise a battu celle de Madagascar, hier, au Gymnase de La Promenade, sur le score de 4-1. Ce match était le dernier de la série.
Cette victoire est la troisième en autant de rencontres pour les Seychelles qui avaient battu La Réunion et Maurice 3-2 respectivement, lundi, lors de la première journée de compétition.
« On a voulu de cette médaille et on l’a désormais au cou. C’est super ! On est fier du devoir accompli ! Et on va tout faire pour remporter d’autres, en compétition individuelle », déclaré un Ghislain encore sous le coup de l’émotion à Sports Nation.
Les joueurs seychellois ont naturellement célébré cette victoire en compagnie du coach chinois Luo Guo et ses adjoints seychellois Gerard Bibi et Calix Francourt.
Maurice a terminé deuxième avec deux victoires contre La Réunion (5-0) et Madagascar (5-0) et une défaite contre les Seychelles (2-3).
La Réunion a fait une seule victoire sur le score de 5-0 contre Madagascar qui a perdu ses trois matches.
La compétition individuelle – simples dames, simples hommes, doubles dames, doubles hommes et doubles mixtes – débute ce mercredi.

C.J.S.O.I   Baminton -  Bon début de l’équipe des Seychelles          G. J. Seychelles.Nations Onlines 29.07.2008
L’EQUIPE seychelloise est sur la route pour décrocher la médaille d’or de la compétition par équipe mixte en badminton.

Hier, lors de la première journée de compétition, la formation seychelloise a enregistré deux belles victoires sur ses principaux adversaires – La Réunion et Maurice – sur le score identique de 3-2.
Les Seychelles doivent battre Madagascar, considérée l’équipe la plus faible du tournoi, ce mardi pour monter sur la plus haute marche du podium.Les autres résultats : Maurice bat Madagascar 5-0 et La Réunion bat Madagascar 5-0.

Badminton: Curtain-raiser competition -  Camille succeeds Ah-Wan, Cupidon back as champion    16.06.2008  G. G. Seychelles nation Online
AFRICAN king and reigning Sportsman of the Year Georgie Cupidon is back as men’s singles Curtain-raiser champion. He also won the other two finals he competed in.
As for African queen and defending Sportslady of the Year Juliette Ah-Wan, she must wait before reaching double-digit singles wins as she is expected to give birth to her first baby later this month.
A nine-time winner, Ah-Wan was at the La Promenade Gymnasium on Saturday to watch her cousin Allison Camille succeed her as ladies’ singles champion.
Camille, who is gearing up for the forthcoming Sixth Jeux de la Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien (CJSOI), collected a 2-0 (21-16, 21-7) win over 18-year-old Danielle Jupiter in her first-ever final.
“It was OK and I gave it my best shot. I hope to do well in the CJSOI Games,” the 16-year-old told Sports Nation.
Absent last year, Cupidon was back to reclaim his title, which had been taken over by Nicholas Jumaye. Cupidon brought his number of wins to nine in 10 years after beating Steve Malcouzane 2-0 (21-19, 21-12).
He teamed up with Kevin Ghislain to win the men’s doubles final on a 2-1 (21-18, 13-21, 21-15) score against Gerald Bibi and Nicholas Jumaye.
Cupidon had Danielle Jupiter for his partner in the mixed doubles final and they triumphed 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) against Joel Dubel and Allison Camille.
Though Ah-Wan was not fit to play, her mother Mona Cadeau was in action. She paired up with Jupiter to win the ladies’ doubles 2-0 (21-17, 21-6) against the duo of Jessy Mancienne and Vanessa Créa.

Badminton - Cupidon/Ah-Wan pair pin down Olympic spot  23.05.2008 G. G. Seychelles Onlines
SHUTTLERS Georgie Cupidon and Juliette Ah-Wan are Seychelles’ first badminton pair to qualify for the Olympic Games.

The country’s illustrious mixed doubles duo maintained their position in the Badminton World Federation’s newly released rankings to finish first in Africa with 10,700 points.
The score is 2,820 more than the total of the South African pair of James Dorian and Michelle Edwards, who settled for second place.
Of the 16 pairs who have qualified for the XXIX Olympiad, slated for August 8-24 in Beijing, China, the Ah-Wan/Cupidon duo is the lowest ranked – 75th in the world.
The top 11 pairs worldwide qualified automatically for the Olympics, and the remaining five teams come from the five continental confederations.
Now they have pinned down a spot at the Games, it remains to be seen if the Seychelles duo will compete in Beijing. This is because reigning Sportslady of the Year Ah-Wan is expected to give birth to her first baby next month.
Speaking to Sports Nation, Ah-Wan, 26, had this to say: “This is a chance of a lifetime. I’m looking forward and would love to compete in Beijing, but not everything depends on me. I’m expected to give birth in June, leaving me with less than two months to get ready for the Games.
“Normally, a woman resumes training three months after giving birth. Right now, I’m doing some individual work in the gym to stay fit. All will depend on how I feel after giving birth.
“This is why I am not setting myself any high targets and deadlines. Also I don’t want to let other people down, especially my partner Georgie.”
As for 26-year-old Sportsman of the Year Cupidon, he said that “it’s every athlete’s dream to compete at the Olympic Games. We’ve qualified for the Games, but we now have to wait to see if we will compete. Although we stand almost no chance of winning medals, it’s going to be interesting if we compete. I hope Juliette gets back in good form after giving birth. But if that is not the case, I will have to accept that we will not be able to make the Games.”
Cupidon and Ah-Wan enjoyed a superb 2007 season in mixed doubles competitions. In Mauritius in April, they successfully defended the African Championships mixed doubles title they had won in Algiers, Algeria, in December 2006.
The two players won a second gold medal – this time at the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers. Inside the OMS El Biar Hall in Algiers, the Seychellois pair showed their opponents that they were still the best on the continent with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) win against the Nigerian pair of Grace Daniel and G Okuongahe in the final.
They also took part in the World Badminton Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the China Open Badminton Championships, the French Open and the Hong Kong Open.
With Cupidon and Ah-Wan having qualified for the Games, Seychelles’ number of qualifiers has now reached five.
The other three are javelin specialist Lindy Leveau-Agricole, Laser sailor Allan Julie and canoeist Tony Lespoir.
Two-time former Sportslady of the Year Leveau-Agricole beat the ‘B’ qualifying standard of 56m with a throw of 56.49m in her second attempt, which earned her the silver medal at the Ninth All-Africa Games last year. This will be her first Olympics.
Julie will be making his fourth Games appearance after 1996 in Atlanta, USA (36th overall), 2000 in Sydney, Australia (27th overall) and 2004 in Athens, Greece (20th overall).
Although this will be his fourth Olympics, it is only the third time the Laser sailor, who won the silver medal of the standard class in Algiers, has actually qualified as he received an invitation when he first took part in 1996.
The 30-year-old achieved the Olympic qualifying standard in Portugal during the ISAF World Sailing Championship held just before the All-Africa Games.
Lespoir earned his qualification for the Olympics after taking second place and the silver medal in the K1 500m race during the Fifth Africa Canoe-Kayak Championship held in the Masinga Dam, Kenya, in January.
The 30-year-old 12-time canoeist of the year made his first appearance for Seychelles in the Olympiad in Athens, Greece, after receiving a wild card. He reached the semifinal of the K1 500m flatwater competition at the state-of-the-art Schinias regatta centre.

The road to Beijing 2008 -

BWF ID :	12216	10597
Given Name :	Georgie CUPIDON	Juliette AH-WAN
Nac :	SEYCHELLE ISLANDS	SEYCHELLE ISLANDS

Badminton: Kenya International  Seychelles pair men’s doubles winners- 04.04.2008 G. G.  Seychelles Nations Online
SEYCHELLES’ pair of Georgie Cupidon and Steve Malcouzane are the men’s doubles winners of this year’s Kenya International.

Reigning two-time Sportsman of the Year Cupidon and Malcouzane won their first match 2-0 (21-5, 21-12) against the Kenyan pair of Taha and Mwangi before going on to beat another Kenyan team of S Odundo and Kinyua 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) in the quarterfinal.
In the semifinal, they beat the Ugandan duo of Ebayo and Mihigo 2-0 (21-6, 21-13) to meet H Patel and P Ruto of Kenya in the final, which they won 2-0 (21-11, 21-19).
It is worth noting that Cupidon and Malcouzane were the men’s doubles bronze medallists at the Ninth African Senior Badminton Championship in Algiers, Algeria, in 2006. They also made the final of the 10th contest in Mauritius last year but settled for the silver medal as they lost the final 0-2 (17-21 and 16-21) against the Dednam brothers – Chris and Roelof – of South Africa.
Indian Anand Chetan won the men’s singles gold medal by beating Spaniard A Crespo 2-0 (21-14, 21-7) in the final. The ladies’ singles title went to Portuguese A Moura with her 2-1 (19-21, 21-14, 21-19) final win against Spaniard Y Martinez.
The South African pair of Chantal Botts and Edwards triumphed 2-0 (21-14, 21-8) in the ladies’ doubles final, while the mixed doubles title was won by Nigerians Grace Daniel and G Okuonghae with a 2-0 (21-8, 21-17) score.

Badminton -  Cupidon, Malcouzane leave for Kenya International  G. G. Seychelles Nation Onlines 27.03.2008
BADMINTON players Georgie Cupidon and Steve Malcouzane leave today for Kenya where they will participate in the Kenya International, formerly known as the Kenya Open tournament.
Reigning two-time Sportsman of the Year Cupidon and Malcouzane will only compete in the men’s doubles event of this year’s Kenya International slated for March 28 - 30.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be played from March 23 to 25, but it was postponed as it was the Easter weekend, an important day of religious reverence for the Christian community in Kenya, just like in Seychelles.
The change of dates was approved by the Badminton World Federation and Badminton Confederation of Africa.
Men’s doubles bronze medallist at the Ninth African Senior Badminton Championship in Algiers, Algeria in 2006, Cupidon and Malcouzane made the final of the 10th edition in Mauritius last year but settled for the silver medal as they lost the final 0-2 (17-21 et 16-21) against the Dednam brothers - Chris et Roelof – of South Africa.
It is worth noting that the last time Seychellois badminton players participated in the Kenya International was in 2000 when Cupidon and Sportslady of the Year Juliette Ah-Wan retained the mixed doubles title they had won the previous year.

Sports Awards of the Year 2007 - Ah-Wan, Cupidon rewarded   Nation Seychelles 28.01.2008
Our photo shows the badminton pair of Juliette Ah-Wan and Georgie Cupidon after they had received the Sportslady of the Year and Sportsman of the Year floating trophies from guest of honour President James Michel (second from left).

Also in the picture are the Minister for Community Development, Youth, Sports & Culture Vincent Meriton (left), the chief executive officer of Cable and Wireless (Seychelles) Charles Hammond (second from right), and Air Seychelles’ public relations and communications manager Glenn Pillay (right).
This is the second time in the 23-year history of the Sports Awards of the Year crowning ceremony that the best male and female athletes come from the same sport. The first time was in 1992 and the top awards went to track and field athletes Mirenda Francourt and Danny Beauchamp.
The Sports Awards of the Year crowning ceremony was held last Friday night at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS).

Sports Awards of the Year 2007 -   Ah-Wan, Cupidon scoop top awards    Nation Seychelles  28.01.2008
THE sport of badminton registered another success last Friday as Georgie Cupidon picked up his second Sportsman of the Year award in a row and Juliette Ah-Wan returned as Sportslady of the Year, seven years after her first triumph.

Ah-Wan and Cupidon, who form the Seychelles illustrious mixed doubles pair - winner of the gold medals at the Senior African Championships in Mauritius and the Ninth All-Africa Games in Algeria in 2007 – fended off stiff opposition to receive the huge floating cups from guest of honour, President James Michel, during the Sports Awards of the Year 2007 crowning ceremony held at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS).
Community Development, Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Vincent Meriton presented the two badminton players with the cups which they will keep, their R15,000 cheques and certificates; on behalf Air Seychelles, Public Relations and Communications Manager Glenn Pillay handed them a return ticket to any European destination and Cable & Wireless Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Charles Hammond gave each one of them a mobile phone.
This is only the second time in the 23-year history of the Sports Awards crowning ceremony that both the best male and female athletes come from the same sport. The first time was in 1992 when Mirenda Francourt and Danny Beauchamp coming from track and field athletics were crowned.
Besides President James Michel, First Lady Nathalie Michel and Minister Meriton, the other distinguished guests at the ceremony included Vice-President Joseph Belmont, Designated Minister Danny Faure, Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Herminie, Opposition Leader Wavel Ramkalawan, President of the Court of Appeal Francis McGregor, ministers, principal secretaries and representatives of the Diplomatic Corps.
In fact, admission to last Friday’s glittering ceremony which was switched from the SMB Exhibition Hall to the ICCS was on invitation only.
Other prizes
As runners-up, Laser sailors Meggy Gertrude and Allan Julie received R8,000, 50% reduction on return tickets to Johannesburg from Air Seychelles, cups and certificates.
In third position, female athlete Lindy Leveau-Agricole and badminton player Steve Malcouzane pocketed R6,000, a cup, a certificate and a 50% reduction on return tickets to Singapore from Air Seychelles. It is to note that the National Sports Council (NSC) has sponsored the other 50% for the airline fares to Johannesburg and Singapore.
Fourth place finishers Janet Thélermont (weightlifting) and Kitson Julie (boxing) got R4,000 each, a cup and a certificate, while the two fifth finishers – badminton player Catherina Paulin and weightlifter Charles Siméon - received R3,000, a cup and a certificate.

It was clearly a wonderful night for badminton as Joel Dubel was crowned Young Male Athlete of the Year, while Laser sailor Meggy Gertrude took the Young female Athlete of the Year title. They both received R3,000, a cup and a certificate.
As runners-up, basketballer Abdel Sylla and volleyballer Marielle Bonne got R2,000, a cup and a certificate, while third place finishers table tennis player Anniessa Benstrong and footballer Aaron Jean received R1,000, a cup and a certificate.
Cable & Wireless CEO Hammond and Thomas Dauban, director of Human Resources within the same telecommunication company, presented the prizes to the young athletes.
During the same ceremony, which saw performances by Elijah, André Sinon, Christianna Alexis and the School of Dance, all male and female athletes chosen as the best by their respective federations or associations got R3,000.
Four special awards were also given out on the night with basketball referee Tracey Hétimier being voted official of the year, William Dixie coach of the year, George Sicobo volunteer of the year and the Seychelles Table Tennis Association (STTA) best federation/association of the year.
For the first time in the history of the Sports Awards of the Year crowning ceremony, disabled athletes received certificates and the recipients were Lorna Lespoir and Steven Ernesta.
……………..
What the winners said:
Sportsman of the Year Georgie Cupidon
“When I was crowned Sportsman of the Year 2006, I said that I would work hard to retain the title. I’ve done it and the target is to win a third consecutive title. I thank everyone who has helped me in one way or another in achieving victory on the court. I deserved to win in 2006 and I deserve it again in 2007.”
Sportslady of the Year Juliette Ah-Wan
“I always told myself that I should win the Sportslady of the Year title a second time after my first triumph in 2000. The day has come and I’m happy. I’m looking forward for a third win. I would also like to thank the sport entourage for its support and guidance.”
Young Male Athlete of the Year Joel Dubel
“I’m happy to win the title as I didn’t expect victory tonight (Friday night). My target for the 2008 season is to win a medal at the forthcoming Jeux de la CJSOI in Seychelles.”
Young Female Athlete of the Year Meggy Gertrude
“I’m happy to win the Young Female Athlete of the Year title and I was also hoping to win the Sportslady of the Year crown. I felt I lost the prestigious title because I only competed in one international competition – the All-Africa Games – in 2007. May I take this opportunity to point out that the training environment for sailing here isn’t good and we also do not have a coach.”

Sports Awards of the Year 2007 - Grand slam for badminton   G.G. Nation Seychelles  26.01.2008  
GEORGIE Cupidon reasserted his status as Seychelles’ top athlete by picking up a second Sportsman of the Year title in a row during the Sports Awards of the Year crowning ceremony on a big night for badminton.

In fact it was a grand slam for badminton as it is the second time in the 23-year history of the Sports Awards of the Year crowning ceremony that the best male and female athletes come from the same sport.
With a bucket-load of nominations, the sport of badminton also had Juliette Ah-Wan crowned Sportslady of the Year for her second triumph.
Previously honoured in 2000, Ah-Wan was up against Laser sailor Meggy Gertrude (runner-up), athlete Lindy Leveau-Agricole (third), weightlifter Janet Thélermont (fourth) and fellow badminton player Catherina Paulin (fifth).
Cupidon and Ah-Wan formed the illustrious Seychelles pair who won the mixed doubles titles at both the African Senior Championship and the Ninth All-Africa Games. They also led Seychelles to winning the team event gold medal at the African Senior Championship
Winner of the team event bronze medal at the Eighth All-Africa Junior Badminton Championship, Joel Dubel was the third badminton player to be crowned last night as he took home the Young Male Athlete of the Year title.
The Young Female Athlete of the Year award went to Laser sailor Meggy Gertrude who made history by winning Seychelles’ first gold medal at the All-Africa Games and that came in Algiers, Algeria, 29 years after the country first participated in the African manifestation in the Algerian capital city in 1978.
The Sports Awards of the Year 2007 ceremony was held last night at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS).

Sports Awards of the Year 2007 - Cupidon and Ah-Wan make history   Nation Seychelles  26.01.2008
BADMINTON players Juliette Ah-Wan and Georgie Cupidon have done it. While Cupidon has retained the Sportsman of the Year title he won in 2006, Ah-Wan is back as Sportslady of the Year after a first triumph in 2000.
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.
 

Badminton player Steve Malcouzane – third place finisher

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.

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.

Badminton player Catherina Paulin – fifth place finisher

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.