It’s league title win number 14 for ‘Tintin’ |25 August 2008
If one title win might be a big achievement, but what about 14?
Yes, 14 league titles!!
Want to know the feeling? Meet Arsu’s Marie-Antoine Gilbert – the only Seychellois volleyballer and possibly the only local athlete in both sexes – to have achieved such a feat.
After three years as the best team, Arsu were dislodged as champions in 1995 by coach Maurice Denys’ Juniors who had in their ranks players like Yvonne Legaie, Annie Dugasse (now Appasamy), Marie-Claude Laurence, Avrille Tirant (now Hoareau) and Yvanette Auguste.
They reclaimed their title in 1996 and held it for another three years before Cascade, made up of mostly players of the 1995 Juniors team along with Eliena Mousbé and Anne Delcy, came along and wrestled the crown from their grasps.
The Cascadians held it for two years – 1999 and 2000 – before Arsu came back with a vengeance. They returned as champions in 2001 and all attempts over the past eight years to make them surrender the title have been unsuccessful.
It’s been a fairytale and ‘Tintin’, as she is amicably known within the volleyball circle, has been one of the team’s faithful casts and one with an important role. Not one of the tallest players around, ‘Tintin’, who stands at 1.60m, has played in all positions for Arsu except as setter.
Boasting a strong character and good basics in the sport, ‘Tintin’ was also the Seychelles national team’s first libero and has won gold medals at the African Nations Cup, Indian Ocean Islands Games and Indian Ocean Club Championship.
“I’m happy. First of all, I like volleyball and practice the sport for fun to keep myself in shape,” she told Sports Nation. “At first winning titles was something special for me, but I’ve become used to winning that I just play and don’t take note of the achievements. I believe it will take a while before someone else achieves such a feat. You make me feel old when I talk about the number of wins,” added the 35-year-old who always wears the number five jersey.
Asked how long she expects to play, ‘Tintin’ replied: “I don’t know. As long as I feel good, I’ll do so. I also think that I’m performing much better than some young players, so I just stick around. I think there will come a time when I will not feel like dressing up to train and compete. This will be the time I will have to hang up my boots and watch the others play.”
It remains to be seen who can break Arsu’s domination of women volleyball here…
G. G.
Marie-Antoine Gilbert’ fact file
Date of birth: March 5, 1973
Height: 1.60m
Weight: 55kg
League championship wins: 14 in 17 years – 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
Indian Ocean Islands Games: bronze medallist in 1993 in Seychelles, gold medallist in Reunion in 1998, gold medallist in Mauritius in 2003, silver medallist in Madagascar in 2007
Indian Ocean Club Championship: gold medallist in 1997 (in Seychelles), 1998 (in Madagascar), 2002 and 2003 (in Maurice) and 2006 (in Reunion), silver medallist in 2001 and 2004 (in Seychelles), bronze medallist in 1999 (in Mauritius)
African Nations Cup: gold medallist in 2001 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She was voted best libero and played on the African team at the World Cup in Spain.