36th Sports Awards of the Year 2019 Maiden title for Felicity Passon, Rodney Govinden returns as the best |01 February 2020

Swimmer Felicity Passon has won her maiden Sportswoman of the Year title, while sailor Rodney Govinden has returned as Sportsman of the Year after a first triumph in 2015.

The two athletes were crowned by President Danny Faure during last night’s 36th Sports Awards of the Year crowning ceremony held at the NSC Hall, Roche Caïman.

Passon becomes the fourth swimmer – after Elke Talma (1989), Shrone Austin (2003) and Alexus Laird (2016) – to win the Sportswoman of the Year crown.

As for Govinden, his second win puts him at par with boxer Andrique Allisop (2012 and 2014) and badminton player Georgie Cupidon (2006 and 2007).

His colleague Allan Julie is the only other sailor to win the Sportsman of the Year crown and he has lifted it a record eight times – 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2015 and 2016.

Seychelles NATION presents short profiles of the top five chosen from the finalists in both the female and male categories.

Compiled by Gerard Govinden

Swimmer Felicity Passon – Sportswoman of the Year

This is the first time swimmer Felicity Passon, nicknamed the ‘Golden Girl’, wins the Sportswoman of the Year title. This comes after she proved herself as a dominant force in the pools at both regional and continental levels in 2019.

A three-time Young Female Athlete of the Year winner in 2014, 2015 and 2016, Passon won 11 medals – seven gold, three silver (one individual and two in relays) and one bronze – at the 10th Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) to become Seychelles’ best ever swimmer at these Games. She beat Shrone Austin who won 10 medals – 7 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze – at the 7th IOIG in Madagascar in 2007.

At the 12th African Games in Rabat, Morocco in August, Passon won four medals – two gold, a silver and a bronze.

The exploit made her the first Seychellois swimmer to win a gold medal at the African Games.

International competitions

● Gold medal in the 100m backstroke in 1:02.42 at the 12th African Games

● Gold medal in the 200m backstroke in 2:14.55 at the 12th African Games

● Silver medal in the 50m backstroke in 29.17 seconds at the 12th African Games

● Bronze medal in the 100m butterfly in 1:00.61 at the 12th African Games

● Gold medal in 100m backstroke (new Games record) at the 10th IOIG

● Gold medal in 50m butterfly at the 10th IOIG

● Gold medal in 50m freestyle (new Games record) at the 10th IOIG

● Gold medal in 50m backstroke (new Games record) at the 10th IOIG

● Gold medal in 100m butterfly at the 10th IOIG

● Gold medal in 200m individual medley (new Games record) at the 10th IOIG

● Gold medal in 200m backstroke (new Games record) at the 10th IOIG

● Silver medal in 100m freestyle at the 10th IOIG

● Silver medal in women’s 4x100m freestyle alongside Sofie Frichot, Aaliyah Palestrini and Thérèse Soukup at the 10th IOIG

● Silver medal in women’s 4x200m freestyle alongside Aaliyah Palestrini, Khema Elizabeth and Thérèse Soukup at the 10th IOIG

● Bronze medal in women’s 4x100m medley relay alongside Aaliyah Palestrini, Khema Elizabeth and Thérèse Soukup at the 10th IOIG

Local competition

● None

Weightlifter Romantha Larue – Runner-up

Chosen as Young Female Athlete of the Year in 2013, Romantha Larue has taken the runner-up position behind Sportswoman of the Year Felicity Passon.

The highlight of her 2019 season was the three gold medals won at the 10th Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) held in Mauritius.

International competitions

● Three gold medals at the 10th IOIG in Mauritius (65kg in snatch and 85kg in clean and jerk for a total of 150kg)

Local competitions

● In the National Championship she finished first in the 87kg category with 75kg in snatch and 100kg in clean and jerk

● In the Open Championship she was first with 65kg in snatch and 80kg in clean and jerk

Weightlifter Clementina Agricole – Third place finisher

Twice former Sportswoman of the Year in 2013 and 2014, Clementina Agricole captured three gold medals at the 10th IOIG in Mauritius and this performance has earned her third place overall.

International competitions

● Three gold medals at the 10th Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in Mauritius with a grand total of 166kg, after snatching 73kg and lifting 93kg in clean and jerk

Local competition

● In the National Open Championship she won the 59kg weight category with 63kg in snatch and 84kg in clean and jerk for a grand total of 147kg

Athlete Natacha Chetty – Fourth place finisher

Natacha Chetty had a brilliant season in 2019, especially when competing in international competitions. At the 10th Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in Mauritius, Chetty won two gold medals, precisely in long jump and high jump.

International competitions

● Long jump gold medallist with a best leap of 6.04m at the 10th IOIG

● High jump gold medallist after clearing the bar at 1.70m at the 10th IOIG

• High jump silver medallist with a performance of 1.77m at the African Junior Championship for the Under-18 and the Under-20 held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Local competition

• High jump and long jump gold medallists at the National Championship
• High jump gold medallist at the 43rd National Inter-Schools Athletics Championships

Volleyballer Petra Richard – Fifth place finisher

Petra Richard captained the country’s women’s national team to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory at the expense of Madagascar at the 10th Indian Ocean islands Games in Mauritius.

International competition

• Gold medallist with the country’s women’s national team at the 10th Indian Ocean islands Games in Mauritius.

National competition

• Curtain-raiser tournament with Cascade
• Women’s first division league champions with Cascade
• Women’s first division Land Marine Cup runners-up with Cascade
• Seychelles Volleyball federation (SVF) Cup runners-up with Cascade

Sailor Rodney Govinden – Sportsman of the Year

This is the second time Rodney Govinden is crowned Sportsman of the Year after a first win in 2015.

In 2019 he became the first Seychellois athlete to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan after clinching the Laser gold medal at the 2019 African Championship RSX and Laser.

Three first places, five second places, one third place, earned him a nett score of 22 points which were enough to book him a place in Tokyo after his two worst finishes – 10th and 11th places – were discarded.

International competitions

● Laser gold medallist at the 2019 African Championship RSX and Laser

• Silver medallist the 10th IOIG in Mauritius
• 62nd out of 69 sailors in the French Olympic Week

● Fifth out of 59 sailors in the Laser Europa Cup

● Seventh out of 19 sailors in the Laser Europa Cup Netherlands

●125th out of 152 sailors in the European Championship in Porto

National competition

● First out of 4 sailors in the Hunt Deltel competition

● Second out of 5 sailors in the National Championship

Windsurfer Jean-Marc Gardette – Runner-up

After experiencing an interesting season in 2019, both at national and international levels, Praslinois windsurfer Jean-Marc Gardette has taken a well-deserved runner-up position overall.

International competitions

● Silver medallist African Championship in Algeria (2nd out of 12)

● Oman Regatta – first out of nine windsurfers

● Thailand Championship – 14th out of 23

● World Championship in Italy – 32nd out of 59

● Mauritian Attitude Challenge – 13th out of 36

National competitions

● Winner of the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA) Cup A

● Third in the SYA Cup B series

● Runner-up in the National Championship series

Judoka Dominic Dugasse – Third place finisher

Voted Sportsman of the Year in 2013, Praslinois judoka Dominic Dugasse entered the history books in 2019 by becoming the first ever Seychellois athlete to win a medal – bronze – at the African Judo Championship in Cape Town, South Africa.

The 40th African Judo Championship counted as qualifier for the XXXII Olympic Games set for Tokyo Japan later this year.

International competitions

● Bronze medallist at the the African Judo Championship in Cape Town, South Africa

● Fifth place at the 10th IOIG in Mauritius

National competition

● None

Swimmer Mathieu Bachmann – Fourth place finisher

Swimmer Mathieu Bachmann made his breakthrough last year with medals at the CANA Zone IV Championships and 10th Indian Ocean Islands Games.

International competitions

• Five-time gold medallist (three individual and two in relays) at the CANA Zone IV Championships in Windhoek, Namibia

● Three-time silver medallist at the CANA Zone IV Championships in Windhoek, Namibia

● One gold medal at the 10th IOIG in Mauritius

● Three silver medals at the 10th IOIG in Mauritius

● Four bronze (one individual and three in relays) at the 10th IOIG in Mauritius

National competitions

● Four gold medals at the National Open Championships and a new record in the men’s 50m butterfly

● Four gold medals and also the highest Fina points in 50m butterfly and 50m breaststroke at the National Age Group Championships.

Boxer Keddy Agnes – Fifth place finisher

Outgoing Sportsman of the Year Keddy Agnes could not retain his title but got a fifth place finish.

International competitions

● Gold medallist in the +91kg category at the African Zone 4 boxing championship held in Gaborone, Botswana

● Silver medallist at the 10th IOIG in Mauritius after forfeiting his final bout due to health issues

National competition

● None