Weightlifting: Open Championship

Charles Siméon, Télémaque and Thélermont record breakers

TELEMAQUE ... records in junior 48-kg category

HE has served his time and marked his return to competition on Saturday June 26,  with a record. Charles Siméon pulverised one of the oldest local weightlifting records in Saturday's Open Championship to win the best lifter title among the senior male competitors.

Victoria Gymnasium also played host to four women's records by young Kethsia Télémaque and former Sportslady of the Year Janet Thélermont.

Competing in the 48-kg junior division, Télémaque gave the tone to the championship by setting the record ball rolling.

After having easily snatched 45kg which helped to loosen up her muscles, the S4 student of Beau Vallon School asked for 50kg which she once again powered over her head to beat Julie Matatiken's previous junior snatch best of 47.5kg set on November 28, 1998.

With the record books not having been formally re-written, Télémaque, with just nine months experience in the sport, took to the platform once more to improve her own snatch record to 52.5kg.

In the clean and jerk, the 16-year-old lifted 62.5kg in her second attempt to add 1.5kg to the old record of 61kg belonging to Naira Uzice, who, because of only one week's training, took a seat among the spectators to watch the others in action.

Already named the best junior female lifter during the Association Cup on Praslin with a total of 97.5kg, Télémaque again went home with the trophy, this time with a total of 115kg.

"I'm happy with my performance as I was expecting to break records today (Saturday). I'm happy that I'm improving and I want to match senior lifter Julie Matatiken who competes in the same category as me," Télémaque told Sports Nation.

It is to note that Télémaque won R1,100 for the two records broken and for being named the best junior lifter.

Thélermont improves records

THELERMONT ... snatch and clean and jerk records in 75-kg division

Used to making the headlines, policewoman Janet Thélermont put aside tiredness due to long working hours and lack of training when she was called to the platform.

Competing in the 75kg division for the second time, Thélermont, winner of a gold and two silver medals in the 69-kg senior category of the African Weightlifting Championship in Tunisia earlier this year, added .5kg to her snatch and clean and jerk records established at the Baie Ste Anne Praslin community centre during this year's first local competition – the Association Cup – held on Praslin on March 13.

The former Sportslady of the Year lifted 100.5kg at the second attempt in the snatch event before getting 125.5kg in the clean and jerk.

After asking for the bar to be loaded at 127.5kg, Thélermont, probably happy with what she had achieved, did not even clean the load.

With a total of 226kg, Thélermont easily won the best senior female lifter award and R800.

"I'm always satisfied with my performance. To get two records with just one week of training under my belt is really good. But, I'm unhappy with how we (athletes) are being treated of late. High level athletes like me have to spend a lot of their own money in their sports because they don't know what's happening with the high level scheme. I believe it's time we athletes get to meet those responsible to share with them how we feel about what's going on in sports right now. I also can't train because I work 11 hours per day," said Thélermont who is ranked 18th worldwide in the 69-kg division.

Charles Siméon back with a vengeance

SIMEON ... clean and jerk record after two-year ban

Back in action after having served a two-year ban for failing a drugs test at the African Weightlifting Championship in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002, Charles Siméon made a big impression in his first competition Saturday.

With a best lift of 115kg in the snatch event of the 77kg category, Siméon started the clean and jerk with 145kg in the bar and he easily lifted it.

Spurred on by the idea that he could achieve something interesting, Siméon asked the loaders to put 155kg in the bar and he made no mistake in lifting the barbells to improve by 5kg François Dodin's old record of 150kg.

"I told my fans that I was going to give them a surprise in my return to competition, and I've kept my promise. I'm very happy and nothing's going to stop me from achieving my goals," 22-year-old Siméon, voted the best senior male lifter with a total of 270kg, told Sports Nation.

Siméon went home with R1,000 after an afternoon's work.

It is to note that Siméon was forced to stay away from all local and international competitions after tests on both his 'A ' and  'B' samples returned positive, revealing that he had used a performance-enhancing drug during the African Championship in 2002.

Siméon, a triple gold medallist in the junior category of the 69-kg division and winner of two silver medals (clean and jerk as well as total) and a bronze (snatch) in the senior category, tested positive for metenolone – an anabolic steroid.

He was stripped of all the medals he won at the competition.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) imposed a two-year ban on Siméon and he was allowed back into competition on May 2, this year.

Meanwhile, the best male junior lifter award went to Stephan Clarisse with a total of 180kg (80kg in the snatch and 100kg in the clean and jerk).

The following are the remaining results : Julie Matatiken 48-kg, (130kg in total, 60kg snatch and 70kg clean and jerk), Clementina Agricole 53-kg (145kg in total, 65kg snatch and 80k clean and jerk), Tracia Sophola 63-kg (105kg in total, 50kg in snatch and 55kg in clean and jerk), Safiyah Jumaye 69-kg, (105kg in total, 45kg snatch and 60kg clean and jerk), Ian Rose 62-kg, (165kg in total, 70kg snatch and 95kg clean and jerk), Marcus Zoé 69-kg (85kg in total, 0kg in snatch and 85kg in clean and jerk), Romeo Siméon  69-kg, (245kg in total, 110kg snatch and 135kg clean and jerk), Terrence Dixie, 69-kg, (240kg in total, 110kg in snatch and 130kg in clean and jerk), Elvis Siméon, 85-kg (250kg in total, 120kg snatch and 130kg clean and jerk), Terry Marie 85-kg (190kg in total, 85kg snatch and 105kg clean and jerk), Elvis Jeanne, 94-kg, (280kg in total, 130kg snatch and 150kg clean and jerk), Steven Baccus, 105-kg, (305kg in total, 130kg snatch and 175kg clean and jerk).

G. G.