Ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria – from July 11 to 23-Seychelles’ history at the All-Africa Games |09 July 2007
Since then, Seychellois sportsmen and women have always been present amongst Africa's major sports powers.
In 1987 in Nairobi, Kenya, host of the Fourth All-Africa Games, Seychelles won its first medals – two bronzes – through welterweight Rival Cadeau (now Payet) and middleweight Roland Raforme as the country finished 22nd on the medals table out of 41 participating countries.
Seychelles’ colours were defended by a delegation of 19 sportsmen – nine athletes, six boxers, three swimmers and a weightlifter.
In Cairo, Egypt, in 1991, 46 local sportsmen and officials took part in the continent's biggest sporting event.
Male triple jumper Paul Nioze made history for Seychelles – winning a silver medal after registering 16.50m only to be beaten by Kenyan James Saboli with a last jump of 16.53m.
Boxers Roland Raforme and Robert Jean completed the medal haul with a bronze medal each as Seychelles finished in 19th position on the medals table.
Four years later, the country's multi-discipline delegation at the sixth edition of the Games in Harare, Zimbabwe, was made up of 65 people including officials. Athletes, cyclists, boxers, weightlifters, male volleyballers, karatekas and swimmers were the country's flagbearers.
Boxer Cadeau, who won a bronze in 1987, returned home with a silver medal after losing to Tunisian Marmouri Mohamed Salah in the 71-kg final, while teammate Raforme clinched his third bronze medal in as many participations to propel the country to 23rd place out of 48 countries on the medals table.
In Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1999, female weightlifter Sophia Vandagne and male swimmer Benjamin Lo-Pinto were Seychelles' silver medalists. They also won two bronze medals apiece at the Games.
Swimmer Kenny Roberts grabbed three bronze in the 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley and 4 x 200m freestyle relay alongside Jean-Paul Adam, Benjamin Lo-Pinto and Barnsley Albert.
The medal haul of two silver and six bronze allowed Seychelles to finish in 22nd position on the medals tables. Only 35 out of the 51 participating countries won medals in Johannesburg.
In Abuja, Nigeria in 2003, Seychelles won an unprecedented 16 medals – 10 silver and six bronze.
The Seychellois silver medallists in Abuja in the continent's biggest multi-sports event were female weightlifter Janet Thélermont (three in the snatch, clean and jerk as well as Olympic total of the 69-kg category), female swimmer Austin (three in the 1,500m freestyle, 800m freestyle and 400m individual medley), female javelin thrower Lindy Leveau-Agricole, male high jumper Jude Sidonie and male weightlifters Richard Scheer and Steven Baccus.
The country's six bronze medals were won by cyclist Hudson Mathieu in the individual time-trial, swimmer Shrone Austin in the 400m freestyle, the badminton team of Juliette Ah-Wan, Shirley Etienne, Georgie Cupidon and Nicholas Jumaye, the ladies' doubles pair of Juliette Ah-Wan and Shirley Etienne, Juliette Ah-Wan in the ladies' singles, weightlifter Richard Scheer in the 85-kg category.
With the 16 medals, Seychelles improved on the previous highest total of eight medals – two silver and six bronze – registered during the seventh edition of the quadrennial Games in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1999.
Seychelles was represented by 53 sportsmen and women – five athletes, four badminton players, five boxers, four cyclists, two judokas, three swimmers, 24 male and female volleyballers and seven male and female weightlifters – at the eighth edition of the All-Africa Games in Abuja.
G. G.