At the 2023 Regional Sailing Championships in Mauritius, Seychelles took home four gold medals, demonstrating that the island nation is still a prominent force in the world of water sports. Odysius Melanie, Alison Hoareau, Roy Govinden, and Jean-Marc Gardette were the gold medalists.
Sailors from Seychelles and Reunion gathered for the Regional Sailing competition, which was held in Mauritius from September 9 to September 16, after the sport was added to the schedule of the 11th Indian Ocean Island Games.
Gold medalist Melanie and six other sailors raced in twelve races of the optimist class, winning nine of them. “I am extremely happy, as the competition was not easy, but I did my best and managed to come out on top,” said Melanie. Joshua Allccon, a fellow Seychellois, finished in second place with a score of 19, although he took first place with a final total of 11.
Mateo Draboucan, a Mauritian who finished first in one of the 12 events, received the bronze medal.
Alison Hoareau was able to win seven of the 12 races in the women’s International Laser Class Association 4 (ILCA4) to take first place overall with a net score of 13. She finished ahead of Samantha Faure and Ella Constance, two other Seychellois.
“I am satisfied with how the competition went, especially this being the first time sailing at this location,” said Hoareau, adding that it was tough because of the current and irregular wind conditions. “I think this shows that sailing is one of the sports that, if it were part of the IOIG, would have brought more gold medals to Seychelles,” she added.
The second gold medal for Seychelles was won in the ILCA 7 class, where Roy Govinden had to put up a good battle to hold off O’Bryan Brasse of Mauritius and win race after race after race. Govinden was successful in winning seven of the races, compared to Brasse’s five victories, and had a net score of 13, as opposed to Brasse’s 15.
“The competition was tight between myself and O’bryan, but I managed to stay focused right till the end to win it,” Govinden said. Christopher Bon of Mauritius won the bronze medal.
In windsurfing, Seychelles won its fourth gold medal thanks to Jean-Marc Gardette, who won seven races overall and finished with a net score of 13. He came in ahead of Mauritius’ Julien Morel, and Jacquelin Languila, another Seychellois, came in third. “I feel super happy and motivated after beating the Mauritians for a second consecutive year,” Gardette said. Speaking of the team’s performance, Gardette, added: “It shows the progress and commitment we have made so far as a team of highly motivated windsurfers to bring home the best results, which also shows as we could have done if we were not excluded from the IOIG.”
Wavel Ramkalawan, the president of the Seychelles, gave the team a note of congratulations, saying, “Congratulations on the excellent results. You have all made Seychelles proud and ensured our flag is raised to the highest level. Continue to train hard and maintain discipline. Once again congratulations to everyone who formed part of the Seychelles Sailing team during these Championships.”
He also sent his best wishes to Neddy Radegonde, a Seychelles kite surfer who suffered critical injuries while competing.
The Seychelles finished the competition with four gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.