Athletics: National Junior Championships |10 June 2022

Sprinters Imanuella Larue, Jerold Alexis leave their mark with two wins apiece

Young local track and field athletes have another opportunity to fine-tune their techniques ahead of the 44th National Inter-School Athletics Championships scheduled for Saturday June 18, by taking part in the National Junior Championship.

Organised by the Seychelles Athletics Federation, the championships were held over two days ‒ Friday June 3 and Saturday June 4 ‒ at Stad Popiler and young sprinters Imanuella Larue and Jerold Alexis left their mark with two wins apiece.

Arsu’s Larue, who falls in the girls (under-16) category, won the 100m final in a time of 13.8 seconds, relegating Angella Calva (youth, under-18, 13.8 seconds) and Elka Pothin (gild, under-16, 14.1 seconds) into second and third places. As for junior (under-18) competitor Alisha Gertrude, she was fourth in 14.3 seconds.

Larue then won the 200m race in 29.72 seconds ahead of Gertrude (30.11 seconds) and Allana Magnan (girl, under-16, 30.91 seconds).

The 100m and 200m races for male were won by junior (under-20) sprinter Jerold Alexis of Port Glaud Shooting Star. He clocked 11.4 seconds in the 100m race and 22.9 seconds in the 200m final.

The other winners of the championships were Amirah Lespoir (women 400m in 1 minute 05.5 seconds ‒ 1:05.5), Neil Azemia (men 400m in 54.6 seconds), Shanty Bibi (women 1500m in 6:09.4), Shakib Rose (men 1500m in 5:17.7), Noemie Anacoura (women 3000m in 28:42.1), Jarius Anacoura (men 3000m in 28:41.8), Mary Dubel (women 800m in 2:45.8), Adley Lauricourt (men 800m in 2:12.3), Plaisance secondary school (women 4x400m relay in 4:56.4), Plaisance secondary school (women 4x100m relay in 57.1 seconds), Plaisance secondary school (men 4x100m relay in 49.1 seconds), Joy Cupidon (women long jump, 4.06m), Vince Julienne (men long jump, 5.51m), Emisha Victorin (women high jump, 1.35m), Liam Barbe (men high jump, 1.85m), Michel Robinson (men javelin throw, 18.11m) and Kaleb Dogley (men shot put, 7.15m).

Meanwhile, the annual National Inter-School Athletics Championships had not featured over the past two years ‒ 2020 and 2021 ‒ following a long break due to the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic that forced the department of health to order the closure of all educational establishments as a prevention measure to avoid the spread of the disease.

This National Inter-School Athletics Championships bring together over 1,100 athletes from all public and private schools from Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.

In the 43rd championships in 2019, only seven championship records were shattered in 100 track and field events and the count was two less than the previous year’s total (2018), which was nine.

Gerard Govinden