Commonwealth Judo Championships |07 August 2023
Nantenaina Finesse (second left) proudly stands on the high step of the podium with his -90kg gold medal (Photo: Contributed)
Finesse wins -90kg class gold medal, Dugasse captures +100kg silver
Seychellois judoka Nantenaina Finesse has clinched the gold medal in the men’s senior -90kg category at the 2023 Commonwealth Judo Championships held in South Africa, while his counterpart Dominic Dugasse has won a silver medal.
Both judokas hail from Praslin and they triumphed yesterday at the Feather Market Hall in Qgeberha, Port Elizabeth, South Africa in the championships held from August 2-6, 2023.
This is the first time Seychellois judokas have won medals at the Commonwealth Judo Championships.
Finesse, 27, fought against Kenneth Harris from Wales in the -90kg final and put the different techniques to work to win by ippon (Sasae-tsurikomi-ashi or supporting-foot lift-pull throw).
He also won his first fight by ippon (Harai-goshi or hip sweep) against South African Brendan Kruger.
There were five fighters in this category.
“I feel proud,” Finesse told Sports NATION last night.
“This result has come after some good training. After the last Olympic Games I had been away from judo for almost two years, but I made a comeback to training for the forthcoming Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG). We had some good training camps in Seychelles and most recently we trained in South Africa for almost a month,” added Finesse.
He added: “My next goal is the IOIG which won’t be easy, but my goal is to reach the final.”
Finesse’s training partner Dominic Dugasse also made it to the final of the +100kg category, but lost to South African David Stockigt on points after a four-minute fight.
“I am happy with my result. I did not push myself too hard in the final as I felt a slight pain in one of my shoulders,” Dugasse told Sports NATION.
The 38-year-old added that he is a bit disappointed with the organisers for not following the rules.
“We were supposed to be four fighters in this category, but only three of us – two South Africans and myself – reported for the weigh-in. With only three fighters, the competition should have been run on a league basis, but this was not the case,” said Dugasse.
Both Dugasse and Finesse had just taken part in a training camp in South Africa and were invited at the last minute to take part in the championship.
Speaking to Sports NATION, Seychelles Judo Federation (SJF) chairperson Sandra Jeanne said: “As the chairperson of the federation I am very happy. Frankly, we did not expect these results as this competition was not on the calendar of events. I believe it is the result of the team work we are doing within the federation. We have all been giving our best for the judokas. These results also put the fighters in the right frame of mind for the IOIG and I guess they will serve as morale boosters for the rest of the team.”
A total of 235 athletes from 10 countries— Botswana, Mozambique, Seychelles, Eswatini, South Africa, Namibia, Northern Ireland, England, Wales and India – made their way to Nelson Mandela Bay to compete in the Commonwealth Judo Championships.
Judo South Africa (Judo SA) was hosting the event for the second time after also successfully staging it at Nelson Mandela University in 2016.
Judo SA had initially been meant to hold the championships in 2020, but it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, the executive met and reconsidered awarding the event to South Africa.
Gerard Govinden
