Interview with Sportsman of the Year Steve Malcouzane-‘It was a pretty good year and one of the best for me’ |04 February 2010
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.
G. G.