Interviews with Young Female Athlete of the Year and Young male Athlete of the Year |25 January 2012

Four days after being crowned Young Female Athlete of the Year and Young male Athlete of the Year titles, weightlifters Rena Agricole and Sirous Farabeau are still being congratulated and they feel proud.

Both lifters performed admirably during the 2011 season and their good results earned them the overall best titles.

‘I expected the Young Female Athlete of the Year title’

“I did not follow my sister Clementina Agricole into weightlifting. Instead, coach McDonald Henriette came to the Mont Fleuri secondary school one day and saw me running around. He asked me to do some tests and I was successful. I think he knew I was Clementina’s sister and that’s why he called me in for the tests. This is how I got into weightlifting and fell in love with the sport.”

Rena Agricole has no regret joining the sport and is even thinking of earning more success in the future.

“I’m extremely happy I won the Young Female Athlete of the Year title. I expected it as I knew my results were higher than those achieved by the other contenders. Mr Rose (Robert Rose, the Seychelles Weightlifting Association chairman), told me if I win a silver medal in the Commonwealth championship I would win the Young Female Athlete of the Year title,” Agricole told Sports Nation.

She won three bronze medals in the 63kg category of the African senior weightlifting championship and a silver in the Commonwealth Youth Championship with an Olympic total of 125kg (60kg in snatch and 65kg in clean & jerk). She also earned a silver medal in the 69kg division at the Indian Ocean Island Games.

In the National championship in November, she was the winner of the 63kg category with an Olympic total of 130kg (60kg in snatch and 70kg in clean & jerk) and also won the 63kg division of the Open championship in April with an Olympic total of 116kg (53kg in snatch and 63kg in clean & jerk).

“I know I can do even better and my aim for the 2012 season is to work hard in training to be able to perform well in local and international competitions so that I can successfully defend the Young Female Athlete of the Year title. I also want to feature among the seniors and one day win the Sportswoman of the Year title. Hopefully, I can achieve these targets through hard work,” added the 16-year-old.

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‘I’m happy to be the number one young male athlete in the country’

“Rena (Agricole) told me I would win the Young Male Athlete of the Year title, but I thought Keddy (Agnes) would win it. I was nervous when the master of ceremony was about to call out the name of the runner-up. I felt a shiver run down my spine. And when I heard Keddy’s name, I was full of emotions. I did not know what to do. I felt so happy.”

This is how Sirous Farabeau described how he felt minutes before being crowned Young male Athlete of the Year.

“I’m very excited and happy I am the number one young male athlete in the country. I feel so good and don’t know how long this feeling will last,” said Farabeau, whose first sport was swimming.

The 15-year-old told Sports Nation he wants to follow in the footsteps of seasoned lifter Elvis Jeanne who has won a host of medals in international competitions.

“Elvis is my model and is always helping me in training. He guides me all along. Charles (Siméon) also helps me with my techniques. In fact, it’s Elvis who asked me if I wanted to practice the sport of weightlifting when he came to the English River secondary school along with coach Dixie (William). I took some tests and was successful. I’ve been training since and want to achieve more good results,” noted Farabeau who has four sisters and two brothers.

Farabeau, who has been living with one of his sisters lately, would like to thank the sisters of Foyer de Nazareth for bringing him up and for their teachings.

“I spent almost 10 years at the foyer and the sisters took really good care of me and the other boys. They helped me to grow and respect people, and taught me how to pray. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all they’ve done for me. I share this triumph with them,” added Farabeau who visits his friends at the foyer occasionally during the weekends.

Farabeau was a triple silver medallist in the 85kg class of the African senior weightlifting championship and grabbed a silver in the Commonwealth Youth Championship with an Olympic total of 187kg (82kg in snatch and 105kg in clean & jerk).

In the National championship in November, he was the runner-up in the 85kg category with an Olympic total of 200kg (90kg in snatch and 110kg in clean & jerk). He held this same position in the Open championship last April with an Olympic total of 165kg (75kg in snatch and 90kg in clean & jerk).

G. G.