Up Close … with ex-swimmer and bodybuilder Fabien Antat |21 July 2020

Fabien the bodybuilder

‘I try my utmost best to watch swimming competitions as I am still in love with the sport’

By Roland Duval

Phil Heath, a guard for the University of Denver men's basketball team from 1998 to 2002, was known as a defensive specialist, averaging 1.3 points per game and shot just 33 percent from the floor in his four years with the Pioneers.

The 5-11 guard gave up basketball after playing 66 games in college to focus on the professional sport of bodybuilding, becoming a seven-time Mr Olympia winner, having won the competition every year from 2011 to 2017.

The story is very similar to that of local athlete Fabien Antat who was a very good swimmer during his peak days and who later switched from the pool to the gym where he went on to win three Mr Seychelles titles – the most prestigious award in local bodybuilding – in 2000, 2003 and 2006.

A breaststroke and butterfly specialist during his swimming days, Cascade born and raised Fabien said he does not regret the switch at all as it offered him the opportunity to discover another side of himself, thus helping him to learn new things, seeing life from another perspective.

He just got back from a fishing trip, which is how he earns his daily bread, when he agreed to share with us some of his life stories, including the transition from swimming to bodybuilding.

It was also my lucky day since Fabien’s old swimming teammate and long time friend Kenny Roberts was also present to bring up some of the good old memories.

Fabien the swimmer

As a matter of fact, it is safer to say that swimming found Fabien, instead of the other way round since it was after an accident at sea in his younger days and he had to swim ashore that he really knew he could swim.

Young Fabien and friends spent all their spare time in the sea and it was during the days when suction dredger Marco Polo was doing reclamation work in the eastern part of the island, precisely at Cascade that Fabien and friends found a new hobby, playing on the steel drain pipes.

“One day I fell off one of the dredger pipes into the water and I had to swim for my life since I had no other choice. I swam ashore and it was on that day that I really knew I could do it,” explained Fabien.

From then on he began to build more water confidence and upon reaching primary eight (now secondary two) he began to take swimming seriously, taking part in different school and national competitions.

With no public swimming facilities, most swimming contests took place at well-known hotels at that time, especially Barbarons, Plantation Club and Sheraton (Mahe Beach).

In 1987, the arrival of Russian coach Viatcheslav Peregoudov brought a new spark into Seychelles’ swimming and Fabien being part of the team explained that things changed drastically as training took a more serious and professional approach. Something that Kenny confirmed was true.

“Had we have the Roche Caïman Olympic-size swimming pool during our days, we would have achieved far better results,” noted Fabien.

He explained that during those days, training was very hard and coach Peregoudov, being a technician, was very strict and disciplined.

Fabien’s first international outing was in 1990 at the third Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in Madagascar.

The following year he competed at the 5th All-Africa Games in Cairo, Egypt and from then on his swimming career began to flourish.

One of his fondest memories in swimming was at the Meeting international de natation de l'Océan Indien held in Reunion, where he missed his 100m butterfly final.

“I was still waiting for my turn when I learned that the race was over a long time before,” said Fabien who explained that everything was being run so fast and that it was very important to be attentive at that time.

“The competition was very prestigious at that time and coach Peregoudov was so angry at me for missing the final,” said Fabien who added that he had the chance to meet world class swimmers in the likes of Dmitry Volkov, Franck Esposito and Brigitte Becue.

“Up till now, whenever there is a swimming competition, I try my utmost best to go and watch as I am still in love with the sport,” noted Fabien.

It is worth noting that it was in 2015 that Samuele Rossi broke Fabien’s 22-year-old long course 200m breaststroke record of 2:38.25 set in 1993. Rossi touched the wall in 2:33.60.

Switch to bodybuilding

Being a swimmer, you burn a lot of calorie and gain a lot of muscle and in my case my physique was so apparent.

“As part of our swimming training we did weights at the Paradise Gym and I began to see the transformation from lean to bulk in my muscles and it became difficult to swim, especially longer distances,” explained Fabien.

It was in 1996 while training at the Paradise Gym that Fabien met Robert Rose who encouraged him to take up bodybuilding.

From then on he put aside swimming and took up bodybuilding, spending 23 years in the sport.

In his first year in the sport, Fabien won the Night of the Champions contest.

After more training and dedication, Fabien won the Mr Seychelles 2000 held at the ex-Reef Hotel.

In 2002, he injured his knee while playing basketball, keeping him off the stage for a year, before returning in 2003 to clinch his second Mr Seychelles title after beating Regis Delorié.

Fabien then took time off in 2004 and 2005, before coming back in 2006 to take home his third Mr Seychelles crown.

In 2008, he finished as runner-up at the Praslin Grand Prix behind winner Dereck Dogley, before finishing third in the 2009 Mr Seychelles competition.

His last stage performance was last year where he finished fourth overall in the Mr Seychelles competition won by Mervyn Dugasse.

Fabien the fisherman

“I will never be employed by someone as long as I have the strength to go at sea under the protection of God the Almighty,” said Fabien who learned the trade from his father.

Fabien scavenges the sea through various methods, including line fishing, fish traps and diving.

“Two of us brothers have followed in the footsteps of our father,” explained Fabien who also makes and sells fish traps.

One of the main difficulties encountered as a fisherman these days is the stealing of fish traps by dishonest fishermen.

“You see theirs and you do not touch them, but they take yours,” noted Fabien who added that as a diver, he can get access to theirs and destroy them, but does not do it as innocent people might pay the price.

Other than that, Fabien said he cannot really complain about his chosen job.

Music as therapy against stress on bad days

During the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fabien posted a video on social media of him playing the guitar and singing.

He explained that he learned to play the guitar at the defunct National Youth Service (NYS) and had ever since adopted the musical instrument as a remedy or therapy whenever he is stressed, or in a bad mood.

He learned to play bass from Tony Florine, while Hugh Arnephy taught him how to play rhythm guitar.

Being a keen learner, Fabien soon learned to play the lead guitar from Barry Quatre, fledging into an all-round guitarist.

Whenever I am in a bad mood, I just take my guitar and play a song, especially Country and Western and I automatically calm down. For me, guitar playing is a therapy,” explained Fabien.

Perception on life living with the COVID-19

“Everything has changed drastically and some dishonest people are using the COVID-19 as an opportunity to enrich themselves financially, without taking into account the situation of the majority of the population,” explained Fabien who made reference to the price of a bottle of oil that increased by R20 in less than two days.

“You still sell your fish, you still get your money, but you cannot hold on to it like before as it goes in a flash since the price of everything in the shop keeps going up every day,” explained Fabien who is hopeful that a vaccine will be discovered soon.

He also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the sports world in a very severe way.

Being an ex-bodybuilder, Fabien said bodybuilding being a costly sport in terms of nutrition and supplement, it will be very hard for an athlete to practice the sport effectively without sponsors which are also scarce during this period.

“In general, I think we are feeling the full impact of the COVID-19 due to poor planning execution in the past. We have a lot of fish in our water and no oil; therefore instead of investing in oil tankers, fishing boats would have been a better option. I am also convinced, based on evidence, Seychellois fishing crews would have made a good job in terms of fishing and supplying tuna,” noted Fabien who added that we have a lot of captains who can do the same, if not a better job than the French and Spanish presently in charge of the purse seiners fishing in our waters.

“We have gold in our waters but foreigners are enjoying it, instead of the locals,” he added.

As for his future plan, Fabien wishes and is targeting to expand his fishing business by starting with a bigger boat, while the rest of his plans remains a secret for now.