VICTORIA, Seychelles — Sprinters Leah Pool and Gael Barreau from Fast Track Athletics Club took centre stage at the Seychelles Athletics Federation National Youth Championship held at Stad Linite on Saturday, with both athletes winning the 100 metres and 200 metres events to establish themselves as the standout performers of the competition, which brought together athletes from Fast Track, Arsu Athletics Club, Shooting Star Athletics Club, Inner Islands Athletics Club, High Flyers Athletics Club, Academy Shooting Star Athletics Club, Port Glaud Athletics Club, and competitors from Anse Royale secondary school, Anse Aux Pins primary school, and the National Institute of Health and Social Studies. The championship did not produce any national records but showcased the depth of young athletics talent developing across the archipelago.
The National Youth Athletics Championship provides the country’s most promising young athletes with a competitive platform to test themselves against their peers, and the performances at Stad Linite demonstrated that Seychelles continues to develop a solid foundation of sprinting and field event talent that could represent the country at regional and continental level in the years ahead. The participation of athletes from across Mahé and the inner islands reflects the growing reach of organised athletics development in Seychelles.
In the women’s 100 metres, Pool clocked the fastest time of 12.70 seconds in heat one to secure first place, with Immanuella Larue of Fast Track finishing second in 13.05 seconds and Aliya Nicette from Arsu placing third in 13.11 seconds. Pool also dominated the women’s 200 metres, winning heat one in 26.04 seconds ahead of Nicette, who clocked 26.58 seconds. The women’s national records stand at 12.3 seconds in the 100 metres, set by Nathanielle Cherry in Madagascar on May 13, 2006, and 25.5 seconds in the 200 metres, set by Sabina Laurence on home soil on March 12, 2005. In the men’s competition, Barreau recorded the fastest 100 metres time of 10.90 seconds in his heat to finish first, with Odisius Melanie of Fast Track second in 11.09 seconds and Saeed Euphrasie from Inner Islands third in 11.51 seconds. Barreau was equally dominant in the 200 metres, winning in 22.05 seconds with Melanie again finishing second in 22.11 seconds.
Among other notable results, Liam Barbé from High Flyers won the men’s high jump with a clearance of 1.90 metres, while in the men’s shot put, Michael Robinson of High Flyers threw 10.30 metres to take first place. In the women’s long jump, Amira Lespoir of High Flyers won with a distance of 4.35 metres, while in the men’s long jump, Lebron Baronne from Shooting Star took first place with 5.00 metres. In relay events, Arsu claimed the men’s 4×100 metres relay in 53.89 seconds, with Shooting Star winning the women’s 4×100 metres relay. The men’s 1,500 metres was won by Yannick Magnan of Fast Track in 4 minutes 14.50 seconds.
The national records in the men’s 100 metres stands at 10.85 seconds, set by Dyland Sicobo in Botswana on May 28, 2014, while the 200 metres record of 21.6 seconds belongs to Christopher Laurencine, set in Madagascar on August 18, 2007. The performances of Barreau in the men’s sprints and Pool in the women’s events will be closely watched by coaches and selectors looking to identify athletes capable of challenging these long-standing national records over the coming seasons.
The National Youth Athletics Championship serves as one of the most important events in the Seychellois athletic calendar, providing essential competitive experience for young athletes who will form the backbone of the national team for years to come.
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