XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India – October 3-14-Georges returns with extra glittering baggage |16 October 2010

Winner of the country’s only silver medal in Delhi, India, weightlifter Janet Georges (formerly Thélermont) was congratulated on arriving by Emirates airline flight EK 707 by police commissioner Ernest Quatre and National Sports Council chief executive Alain Volcère.

Other high police and NSC officials were also present to welcome Georges, who received baskets of flowers, and the rest of Team Seychelles.

After becoming the first Seychellois woman to win a medal at the Games – a bronze with a total lift of 205kg – in Melbourne, Australia in 2006, Georges edged Nigerian Itohan Ebireguesele (215kg) for the silver medal with a performance of 216kg (100kg in snatch and 116kg in clean & jerk) in the 69kg weight category.

“My objective before leaving Seychelles was to make a step up the medals podium and I fought hard to achieve this result,” Georges told the media.

“I was fourth at a certain point in the competition, but I did well in the clean & jerk to move into the silver-medal position.

“I thank God for an injury-free Games and I also thank the commissioner of police for releasing me from work to be able to follow the seven-week training camp,” she added.

The policewoman said she is proud her silver medal enabled Seychelles to finish joint-29th with Papua New Guinea out of 34 countries that won medals in the Games.

“My medal helped Seychelles finish above Mauritius in the ranking. This is very good. I believe that weightlifting will again do Seychelles proud at next year’s Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG),” added Georges, the oldest member of the team at 31.
And she had a message for her country’s young athletes:

“Don’t give up if you don’t win at first. Continue training hard and you will reap the reward you deserve.”
As all good things have to come to an end, Georges said that next year’s All-African Games and IOIG will be her last two competitions for Seychelles.

“After 14 years of loyal service to weightlifting I feel it’s time for me to retire and think of starting a family,” concluded Georges, who hauled medals by the triple in the women’s 69kg category at the 17th African Senior Weightlifting Championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon in August.

Georges’ result in Delhi matched the previous best results achieved by boxers Roland Raforme (heavyweight) and Gerry Legras (light welterweight) after Canadian fighters dashed their gold medal dreams in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1998. Raforme lost 13-21 to Mark Simmons and Legras 8-16 to Mike Strange.

Australia finished top in the medals standings with 177 medals – 74 gold, 55 silver and 48 bronze – hosts India finished second with 101 – 38 gold, 27 silver and 36 bronze – and England were third with 142 – 37 gold, 59 silver and 46 bronze.

A total of 34 countries did not win a medal in Delhi.

Team Seychelles comprising 28 athletes were the biggest the country has ever sent to the Games and the athletes took part in seven of the 17 sports events – athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, swimming, table tennis and weightlifting.

This was Seychelles’ sixth appearance in the quadrennial Games – the second-biggest multi-sports event after the Olympic Games.

G. G.