Jude Sidonie – athletics

JUDE Sidonie had lived in the shadow of Diguois Eugène Ernesta for a while but in 2003, he made the most of the opportunities that came his way.

Silver medallist at the Sixth Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) and the Eighth All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria, with bars of 2.10  metres, high jumper Sidonie also left his mark in Hyderabad, India, with a bronze medal in the first edition of the Afro-Asian Games.

"I am satisfied with how I performed in 2003 and winning the male athlete of the year title has given me the courage to perform even better this year. I would be happy with a place in the top five but the final decision rests with the Selection Committee," said the 26-year-old who has been doing athletics for four years.

Georgie Cupidon – badminton

GEORGIE Cupidon, the country's number one men's singles badminton player, has won the best badminton player of the year award for six consecutive years.

Gold medallist with Juliette Ah-Wan in the mixed doubles event of the Sixth IOIG in Mauritius, Cupidon teamed up with Nicholas Jumaye to win the bronze medal of the men's doubles at these same Games.

During the Eighth All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria, Cupidon had for partners Ah-Wan, Jumaye and Shirley Etienne to win the bronze medal of the mixed team event.

Despite his success, the 22-year-old thinks that he does not stand a chance to win the Sportsman of the Year title.

"I worked hard in 2003 just like the other male athletes, but I think some of them have an advantage over me for they won more medals at the All-Africa Games. Hopefully, I can finish among the top five," said Cupidon.

Alvin Gabriel – boxing

GOLD medallist in the 69-kg category of the Sixth IOIG in Mauritius in 2003, Alvin Gabriel was the only Seychellois boxer to win a fight at the Eighth All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria.

Gabriel, who is being groomed by three former Sportsmen of the Year Rival Payet (formerly Legras), Roland Raforme and Jerry Legras, has been boxing for seven years now.

The 20-year-old southpaw has said that he "is happy with the best boxer award" and is "not thinking of the Sportsman of the Year title".

Hudson Mathieu – cycling

HUDSON Mathieu, twice runner-up to outgoing Sportsman of the Year Allan Julie in 2000 and 2001, is once again a candidate for the supreme title. The four-time Young Male Athlete of the Year award winner, who was third overall in 1999 and 2002 and finished fifth in 1998, is benefiting from a two-year Olympic Solidarity-sponsored scholarship in Switzerland and is training at the renowned World Cycling Centre.

The 22-year-old sprint specialist won the individual time-trial gold medal of the Sixth IOIG and was placed third for a bronze medal in the team time-trial with teammates Jim Melanie, Andy Rose and Andrew Boniface.

During the Eighth All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria, Mathieu, who progressed immensely in 2003 to win a sixth National Championship crown and break two Seychelles records in the process, won a bronze medal in the 50-km individual time-trial in a time of 54 minutes 56 seconds (54:56), five seconds slower than gold medallist J. Marten of South Africa.

"I can't say much about who is going to win the Sportsman of the Year title. It is going to be a tight race but I'm confident of featuring in the top five," said Mathieu.

Nelson Sopha – football

BLESSED with a safe pair of hands, goalkeeper Nelson Sopha was in a league of his own in 2003 as he helped St Michel to win a sixth championship trophy in the SMB-sponsored League.

On the international scene, he won a bronze medal with the country's national team at the Sixth IOIG in Mauritius and was remarkable with some top drawer saves in the African Nations' Cup 2004 qualifiers against Mali, Zimbabwe and Eritrea.

Asked how he fancied his chances of winning the Sportsman of the Year title, 29-year-old Sopha replied:

"I'm satisfied with a place in the final, but hopefully I can feature in the top five as I really performed well in 2003. I'll just wait for the final decision taken by the Selection Committee," said three-time goalkeeper of the year Sopha, who won the footballer of the year title for the first time in his career in 2003.

DURING the Sixth IOIG in Mauritius in 2003, windsurfer Jonathan Barbé succeeded in retaining the gold medal he won for the first time in Reunion in 1998.

The 27-year-old Mistral specialist won five of the 12 races and this performance was instrumental in helping him recapture the windsurfer of the year title he had relinquished in 2002 after an eight-year stanglehold (1994 to 2001).

With only the IOIG gold medal to his name, Barbé is ruling himself out of the running for the Sportsman of the Year title.

"I don't stand a chance against other athletes who performed at a much higher level than me and won medals. My aim in 2003 was to win the windsurfing gold medal of the IOIG and I did it, but it is not enough for me to rival with the best," said Barbé.  

SPORTSMAN of the Year 1998 Kenny Roberts made a stunning comeback in 2003 and his performances at the Sixth IOIG put him back in the limelight.

Winner of two gold medals in the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle, four silvers in the 200m freestyle, 400m individual medley, 4 x 100m freestyle and 4 x 200m freestyle as well as two bronzes in the 50m freestyle and 4 x 100m individual medley relay, Roberts believes that it is going to be tough to choose the winner.

"My IOIG performance was very good, but unfortunately I could not do the same during the Eighth All-Africa Games. All will depend on the criteria used by the Selection Committee to crown the best," said Roberts, a four-time swimmer of the year in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2003.

THREE-TIME Sportsman of the Year Allan Julie was a Laser gold medallist at the Sixth IOIG in Mauritius with 11 wins out of 12 races.

After another rigorous season in Europe where he trained and competed in a number of high level competitions, Julie enjoyed another milestone last year when he won his first competition on the old continent.

The 26-year-old came out on top in the Scandinavian Race Week (formerly Danish Olympic Spring Regatta) raced in Rungsted, Denmark. He capped his triumph against 32 other world class sailors with four leg wins.

With a sixth place in the Laser Europa Cup and Youth Grand Prix held in Hourtin, France, and having booked his ticket for next year's Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Julie believes that he can stretch his number of wins to four in the Sports Awards of the Year.

"I am still hungry for more of the country's sports personality title to extend my stranglehold. Winning the title for a fourth consecutive year will earn me a place in the history of the Sports Awards crowning ceremony. The fact that I always want to win pushes me to give my best when competing," said Julie, who has won the sailor of the year award a record nine consecutive time since 1995.

It is to note that Laser sailor, who will be making his third appearance in a row in the Olympics in Athens, has been chosen to feature in the XXVIII Olympiad photographic exhibition depicting the preparations of athletes.

RUNNER-UP to three-time Sportsman of the Year Allan Julie in 2002, Steven Baccus performed well in two international competitions he took part in in 2003.

Triple gold medallist in the 94-kg division of the Sixth IOIG in Mauritius with performances of 150kg in the snatch, 180kg in the clean and jerk for an Olympic total of 330kg, Baccus has won the weightlifter of the year title five times – in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2003.

During the Eighth All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria, he won a silver medal in the snatch event of the 94-kg division with a best lift of 145kg.

The 26-year-old fire fighter, who said that the runner-up position in 2002 took him by surprise, has said that he will not predict the winner.

"I performed well in 2003 and I expect to finish among the top five but I won't predict the winner. I'll wait till the day of the crowning to know who will win," said Baccus.

AT 29 years old, Richard Scheer made his debut for Seychelles in 2003 during the Sixth IOIG. He did not disappoint by winning three gold medals in the snatch (170)kg, clean and jerk (145kg) and Olympic total (315kg) of the 85-kg category.

France-based lifter Scheer, who could not be reached for comments, also fared well in the Eighth All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria, with two medals – a silver in the snatch event (150kg) and a bronze in the Olympic total (322.5kg).