Cycling: African Continental Track Championship |01 April 2017

Gold medallist Belle and teammates return to heroes’ welcome

African Continental Track Championship’s junior men sprint gold medallist Stephen Belle and teammates returned to a heroes’ welcome on Thursday night.

They were met at the Seychelles International Airport by Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Idith Alexander, youth and sports principal secretary Fabian Palmyre, Alain Alcindor of the National Sports Council and Seychelles Cycling Federation chairman Lucas Georges.

Belle made history at the ongoing African Continental Track Championship in Durban, South Africa, by winning a first gold medal for Seychelles in track cycling.

His triumph at the Cyril Geoghegan Velodrome came in the 200m junior men sprint race and he beat a South African in the final. Third place went to an Algerian.

Belle 17, also won a bronze medal in the mixed team pursuit to add to the other bronze he won in the 10km junior men scratch race. He finished behind Moroccan Mohamed Medrazi and Rwandan Eric Jean Habimana.

The trio of Mario Ernesta, Xerxes Larue and Christopher Gerry took the men’s senior team sprint bronze medal.

G. G.