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SAINT LUCIANS DUE BACK ON SUNDAY
The inaugural
Summer Youth Olympic Games officially drew to a close in Singapore on
Thursday night in an hour-long spectacle, that included a stunning
display of fireworks, emotive music and dazzling dance performances, all
on the world’s largest floating stage in Marina Bay.
The audience of 27,000 people, saw enjoyed a fast-moving show that
injected the kind of youth and energy into the proceedings that have
become synonymous with these Games. The young athletes themselves took
to the stage for the duration of the show, and could be seen dancing to
the music and pulling faces as the cameras closed in on them.
As the ceremony begun, highlights capturing the laughter and tears of
the Young Olympians over the past 12 days of the Games were played on
giant video screens while lively audience participation was a key
feature of the evening.
The most poignant moment of the evening came during the protocol when
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge announcing
the conclusion of the competition with the words: "I now declare the
inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore closed, and, in accordance
with tradition, I call upon the Youth of the World to assemble in four
years’ time in Nanjing, China, for the second Summer Youth Olympic
Games."
The Olympic Anthem was sung as the Olympic Flag was lowered and
symbolically handed over from Singaporean table tennis Youth Olympic
silver medallist Isabelle Li Siyun, to Mayor of Singapore’s North East
Community Development Council Teo Ser Luck, to the President of the IOC,
to the Mayor of Nanjing Ji Jianye and finally to Chinese shooting Youth
Olympic gold medallist Gao Ting Jie.
The Youth Olympic Flame was then slowly extinguished in a moving moment
as the stage was shrouded in darkness.
But a final, energetic performance from a group modern dancers and
singers resurrected the carnival atmosphere once more as 200 huge globe
balloons were sent high into the night sky to signal the end of the
Games and leave Singaporean’s partying on until the early hours.
In his closing speech, Rogge said: "Congratulations and thank you
Singapore for a job superbly done. You rose brilliantly to the challenge
of combining elite sport, modern education and culture. Throughout these
12 days, we all enjoyed the warm hospitality of the public authorities,
of the very successful Organising Committee and of the 20,000 wonderful
volunteers. These Games will leave a great human legacy in Singapore and
around the world."
In a message to the athletes, Rogge continued: "Dear athletes, you made
us proud. You have learnt what it means to be a true champion, not
simply a winner. You have shown us that a new generation is ready to
embrace and share Olympic values. You thrilled us with your splendid
performances. But, more than that, you inspired us with your enthusiasm,
your spirit and the sheer joy you brought to the task of competing,
learning and living with fellow athletes from around the world. These
were truly inspirational Games. Thank you."
The event bought together 3,500 of the world’s most talented athletes
aged from 14 to 18. Coming from 204 countries and competing over 26
disciplines, the young athletes in Singapore competed in innovative new
events such as the immensely popular 3-on-3 street basketball and mixed
male and female relays.
Five athletes from Saint
Lucia took part in the Games:
Athletics - Rosen Daniel, 400m - sadly Daniel did not complete his event
as he pulled a hamstring shortly after the start, and was unable to
continue in his race. He has been receiving intense physiotherapy and
further medical attention during his time in Singapore.
Boxing - Lyndell Marcellin competed in the Light Welter Weight (64kg)
Division, he lost his first bout in the preliminary round when he was
drawn against Venezulan Samuel Zapata, the ultimate silver medallist in
this Division, which had six boxers. Marcellin went on to win the 5th
Place bout against Afghanistan's Muhammad Oryakhil.
Sailing - the youngest member of the Saint Lucia team, fourteen year-old
Stephanie Lovell, competed in a total of 12 races in the Byte C11 Girls'
One Person Dinghy competition, over six days, finishing in 23rd place in
the fleet.
Swimming - Julien Brice competed in two events, finishing in 25th place
in the 50m Free, with a time of 24.85s, and 41st place in the 100m Free
with a time of 55.01s.
Swimming - Siona Huxley competed in two events, and in the 50m
Backstroke she finished 12th in the heats so went on to the semi-finals,
where she finished 13th overall in a time of 30.98s. In the 50m
Freestyle, Huxley finished in 40th place with a time of 28.81s.
The youngsters also participated in wide-ranging cultural and
educational programmes including workshops on the value of friendship,
the dangers of doping and benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
The new additions to the programme have been such a success that the IOC
have said that they are looking to introduce them into the traditional
Olympics in the future while in his closing press conference, Rogge
stated that the event in Singapore has exceeded his highest
expectations.
He said: "I knew it would be a good organisation from our Singaporean
friends but they have exceeded their level of perfection. This was a
huge success, more than we expected, and every four years the Youth
Olympic Games will go to another city and they will improve the quality
of the event. I am very optimistic about the future." By Joyce Huxley.
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Marcellin in Action at the Youth Olympics in Singapore
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Marcellin in red shots
On the night of Saturday August 21st, St.
Lucian boxer Lyndel Marcellin stepped into the ring at the Suntec
International Convention Center in Singapore to face Samuel Zapata from
Venezuela in the Light Welter Weight (64kg) division.
The entire St. Lucian delegation cheered, and screamed for their fighter in
red, encouraging other onlookers to side with the underdog. This was not to
be Marcellin's night. Zapata, a seasoned veteran of the amateur fight scene,
entered the ring with over 140 fights notched under his belt, and this
experience certainly showed. Marcellin, still a student in his sport at this
level, showed great speed and agility, and hung in there for all 3 rounds (3
minutes per round). He gave his teammates and the crowd the opportunity to
support him for a full bout, while his Cuban coach, Renaldo Toledo, had the
opportunity to assess Marcellin's progress following the challenging
training schedule since his arrival in Singapore.
Zapata took advantage of his experience in
the first round and came out attacking, keeping Marcellin on the defense for
most of the round. Much to the dismay of the St. Lucia fans, the round was
scored 7-0 in favor of the Venezuelan, despite two or three clear landed
punches by Marcellin.
The second round was the best fought round, as both boxers defended
extremely well each time one countered, and the only point scored was a
counter punch landed by Zapata in the final seconds of the round, which was
scored 1-0, giving a cumulated score of 8-0 after round 2.
Fatigue seemed to set in during the final round, and although Marcellin did
his best to attack, the tactical Venezuela kept him on his back foot and
denied his attempts to score points. The final outcome of the fight,
declared Zapata the winner with a final score of 11-0. However most of the
crowd, including Marcellin himself, knew that he deserved to have scored a
couple points.
Holding his head high, he exited the ring to a big round of applause and
cheers knowing that although this was not his day, he had accomplished the
goal he had set for himself coming into this competition; he got his Three
Rounds.
Marcellin will have another Three Rounds when he comes up against Muhammad
Oryakhil of Afghanistan in the Place 5 bout on Monday 23rd August at 7:30 pm
(7:30 am Monday morning in St. Lucia).
In the meantime, Zapata went on to win his semi-final match against Fabian
Maidana of Argentina and so proceeds to the final Gold Medal bout on Tuesday
24th August, where he will face Ricardus Kincaitis of Lithuania.
With the Junior competition recently changing from a FOUR rounds (2 minutes
per round) format to a THREE rounds (at 3 minutes per round) match, the
challenge to box longer rounds has certainly tested all these young
athletes' fitness level. However, this format now matches that of the senior
boxers, and as a result will prepare the junior athletes to become great
fighters in the future. By
Joyce Huxley
sAINT LUCIA'S LOVELL SETS SAIL AT YOUTH GAMES
Stephanie Lovell (at center), lots of delays in the events due to poor
weather.
Stephanie Lovell, St. Lucia's sailing
representative in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, is facing
tough conditions that are throwing the sailing schedule into disarray.
Fourteen-year old Lovell is one of 32 entries in the Byte C11 Girls' One
Person Dinghy competition, that is scheduled to include a total of 16 races.
More comfortable and experienced with the Optimist and Laser Class dinghies,
Lovell had only a few weeks to become familiar with the Byte C11, prior to
her departure for Singapore on 12th August.. The Saint Lucia Sailing
Association arranged for the lease of a Byte C11, that was delivered to the
island at the end of July, and Lovell spent as many hours as she could,
becoming familiar with the boat in local waters in Reduit Bay.
The first race of the Youth Olympics took place on Tuesday 17th August, four
days after the team arrived in Singapore, and after a practice race had to
be cancelled due to lack of wind. In the first race of the series, Lovell
performed very well, placing 9th in the fleet, much to the delight of her
coach, Ben Todd and her mother, Monique Deveaux-Lovell, who are both in
Singapore with the St. Lucia Team.
In her second race that day, Lovell placed 23rd, and after six races over
three days of competition, Lovell is now ranked 23rd out of the 32 sailors.
Conditions have been challenging, and Lovell, along with the rest of the
fleet, had to wait out for five hours on the second day of the event, while
thunderstorms passed overhead. The organising committee delayed the race
start because of fears of lightening striking the masts. In addition, all
races were cancelled on Saturday 21 August due to inclement weather.
Stepahnie Lovell still faces three days of
competition, on 23rd, 24th and 25th August, with another ten races scheduled
over these three days. Unused to competing in such a large fleet, Lovell has
been performing strongly, although finding it difficult to maintain her
position with the leaders. On several of the races, she has been up with the
leaders at the start of the race but then lost ground later.
The current fleet leader in the Byte C11 Girls' is Austria's Lara Vadleau,
with Constanze Stolze of Germany and Celine Carlsen of Denmark sharing the
second spot. However, with fewer than half of the races completed, rankings
can change over the next few days.
In other news from St. Lucia, runner Rosen Daniel was unable to compete in
the finals of the 400m. In the heats earlier in the week, Daniel came to an
abrupt finish after only 100m due to a strained hamstring. Despite intensive
physiotherapy, Daniel was not given the all-clear by the medical team at the
Youth Olympic Village, and he was forced to sit out on the D Final on
Saturday 21 August. With another week to go, Daniel will continue to receive
daily treatment for his injury, while also taking full advantage of all of
the educational and cultural programmes on offer.
Swimmers Siona Huxley and Julien Brice have completed their last events, and
boxer Lyndell Marcellin is gearing up for his first bout on Saturday evening.
By Joyce Huxley.
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Jamaica's Odane Is YOG's Undisputed Sprint King
Jamaica's
Odane Skeen took a major step forward towards realising his dream of
becoming his country's next top sprint sensation by winning the Youth
Olympic Games 100m final on Saturday evening.
Roared on by a full-capacity crowd which packed Bishan Stadium to the
rafters, the 15-year-old took the blue-ribbon event in 10.42sec.
The 100m final had been a highly-anticipated event because of the sudden
rise of Britain's David Bolarinwa just before the YOG. For Skeen had been
the fastest sprinter in the 16-17 years category with his 10.46sec -- until
Bolarinwa clocked 10.39sec in London this month.
Then, in the heats two days ago, Bolarinwa emerged the faster of the two
when he clocked 10.62sec -- 0.01sec faster than Skeen.
But in the end, when it came to the final reckoning, Skeen came out the
winner, by quite a gap.
In fact, Bolarinwa, who clocked 10.51sec, did not even win the silver. He
was apparently edged out by surprise silver medallist Masaki Nashimoto of
Japan who also clocked 10.51sec but was judged to have beaten the British
lad in a photo-finish.
The Girls' 100m final witnessed a major upset as Josephine Omaka of Nigeria
defeated race favourite Myasia Jacobs of the United States.
Omaka, 16, powered down the track and breasted the tape in 11.58sec, 0.08sec
faster than Jacobs who was so disappointed that she could not even bring
herself to flash a smile during the medal ceremony.
Fany Chales of the Dominican Republic was third in 11.65sec.
The United States did win gold though - in the Girls 400m.
Robin Reynolds was just too good for the rest of the field, winning in
52.57sec. Romania's Bianca Razor was second in 53.10sec while Nigeria's
Bukola Abogunloko was third in 53.47sec.
The Boys' 110m hurdles turned up a pleasant surprise - all top three
hurdlers ended up clocking new personal best times. But it was Australia's
Nicholas Hough who emerged top dog in 13.37sec. China's Wang Dongqiang was
second (13.41sec) and Finland's Jussi Kanervo took the bronze in 13.53sec.
Germany captured two field events -- the Girls Long Jump and Discus. Jumper
Lena Malkus won the final with her first effort of 6.40m but suffered an
anxious moment when Romania's Alina Rotoru landed in the sand on her final
attempt.
When the dust cleared, Malkus could smile again - Rotoru's diustance read
6.38m.
In contrast, German thrower Shanice Craft was a class above the rest in the
discus final. All her throws were above the 51m mark, while all her rivals
threw below 50m. Craft took the gold and saved her best for her last throw
-- recording her best effort of 55.49m.By
Gerard Wong
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SAINT LUCIAN DARREN SAMMY- A BIG PERFORMER IN WEST INDIES CRICKET
Darren Sammy
Friday Aug.
20,2010 --- The WICB Cricket and Selection committees met recently to review
the performances of players on WICB retainer contracts. In their review the
joint committee effort found that left arm spinner Sulieman Benn and all
rounder Darren Sammy were the big performers among the 14 players who hold
WICB Central Retainer Contracts for the year October 1, 2009 to September
30, 2010.
Benn moved from having taken 29 wickets in the 2008-2009 season to a grand
total 40 wickets in the 2009-2010 season in the three forms of the game at
the highest level – Tests, One Day Internationals and International
Twenty20s.
The Barbadian’s cumulative average also came down significantly from 46.12
runs per wicket in 2008-2009 to 27.7 runs per wicket in 2009-2010.
Sammy increased his wicket haul from 24 wickets to 32 wickets but he made
significant progress on improving his average – moving from 53.16 runs per
wicket to 29.13 runs per wicket (all three formats of the game).
Chris Gayle’s stats for 2009-2010 remained mostly on par with his stats for
the previous year.
Incidentally all
three of Benn, Sammy and Gayle have been nominated by the ICC for awards in
the LG ICC Awards 2010. Additionally veteran middle order batsman Shivnarine
Chanderpaul and Gayle are the only two West Indians ranked in the top ten
performers in the world in the ICC rankings for batsmen and bowlers.
Chanderpaul is ranked 5th on the list of top Test batsmen, having slipped
from his number one ranking while Gayle is also ranked fifth on the list of
top ODI batsmen. Chanderpaul is ranked 10th on the ODI list.
There are no bowlers in the top ten of the Reliance Mobile ICC rankings for
Tests or ODIs.
The WICB will be offering 15 players Central Retainer Contracts for the
period October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011 and will also offer ten players
Developmental Contracts for the same period.
Players currently on WICB Central Retainer Contracts: Dwayne Bravo,
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Denesh Ramdin, Darren
Sammy, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman Benn, Dave Bernard, Narsingh Deonarine,
Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach
.Today,
on morning of Wednesday 18th August, Siona Huxley competed in her favourite
event, 50m Backstroke. Swimming in Heat 1, Huxley placed 4th in her heat,
and 12th overall, in a time of 30.86s, guaranteeing her a place in tonight's
semi-finals. Also going through to semi-finals is Jamaica's Kandese Nangle,
with whom Huxley has enjoyed keen competition at regional events over the
years. Nangle placed 14th overall, in a time of 31.09s. The top sixteen
swimmers proceed to semi-finals. The fastest finisher in the 50m Back heats
was Russian Alexandra Papusha who recorded a time of 29.64s, closely
followed by French swimmer, Mathilde Cini who completed the event in 29.70s
and Sweden's Lovisa Eriksson in 29.71s.
During the evening's semi-finals, Huxley finished with a time of 30.98s,
placing 7th in her heat and 13th overall. Jamaica's Kandese Nangle placed
12th overall in a time of 30.91s. The top eight in the semi-finals, led by
France's Mathilde Cini with a time of 29.22, will proceed to finals on
Thursday night. Huxley swims again tomorrow morning, competing in the 50m
Freestyle.
At the Singapore Sports School tonight, history was made when Trinidad's
Christian Homer swam a strong 26.36s in the Boys 50m Back finals. Homer came
in to the finals with the fastest seed time, having topped the
semi-finalists with a strong 26.31s the previous evening. Although favourite
to win, Homer faced strong competition from local Singapore boy Rainer Kai
Wee Ng, who finished second in a time of 26.45, while Kuwait's Abdullah
Altuwaini and Australia's Max Ackermann tied for third place in a time of
26.46s.
Siona Huxley 50m Back makes Semi Finals
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Seventeen-year old Rosen Daniel faced a huge blow on Tuesday
morning, when he was forced to pull out soon after the start of his
400m run, due to injury. Daniel was confident going into the event,
having prepared well over the months leading up to traveling to
Singapore. Running in lane 8 in the second heat, he got off to a
strong start, but at around 100m into the race, came to an abrupt
halt, before moving off the track, hopping on one leg, and falling
to the ground in pain.
Daniel, a recent graduate from St. Mary’s College, had been proposed
by the Athletics Association to the St. Lucia Olympic Committee, as
a potential member of the team traveling to Singapore to compete in
the Youth Olympic Games. His Coach, Cuthbert “Trois ti Nay” Modeste,
worked hard to prepare his athlete for the Games, and travelled to
Singapore with the team as Athletics Coach.
Prior to his event, Daniel commented:
“I have been running from the time I started primary school but I
only started training about three years ago. So far my greatest
achievement was coming 4th at the 2009 CARIFTA Games, running a
Personal best of 48.89 seconds.
The thing I love most about Track and Field is the fact that you get
to travel all over the world to compete against the best athletes.
Not many sporting disciplines gets this opportunity, which is why
Track is so exciting.
I don’t have a specific goal, the main thing right now is just
getting my time down. As long as that happens my path will be laid
before me and I could just go with the flow.”
In preparation for the Youth Olympics, Daniel has been training
anything from three to five days each week, for two hours each
session. In addition to training hard, he has been going to a
physiotherapist three times weekly, for strengthening and
flexibility exercises.
A religious young man, Daniel says that: “My one and only role model
is god, which is why I try in whatever I do to honor and glorify
him.”
Daniel has been looking forward to taking part in the Cultural and
Education Programme that is an integral part of the Youth Olympics.
“I also love to paint and draw, which is all I do in my spare time.
If I had to choose a career I would want it to be linked with visual
arts.”
Daniel received prompt medical attention following his collapse, and
it is to be hoped that he will make a quick recovery.
Tuesday
AUG 17,2010. == SINGAPORE ===== Saint Lucian Julien Brice HAD a
great swim today in the 50m Free, finishing first in his heat (heat
4) in a time of 24.85s ,but he finished 25th overall out of a field
of 53 swimmers
Julien will be back in the pool again
at 9.40 P m on Wednesday in the 100mFree while it will be Siona's
turn at 9.30 P.m Thursday in the 50m Free.
Watch it live BY GOING TO
http://www.youtholympicgames.org/
and click on channel 3.(picture by CHRIS Huxley
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SAINT LUCIA AT OPENING OF SINGAPORE YOUTH GAMES
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The Singapore 2010 Youth
Olympic Games got off to a dazzling start on Saturday night,
with the city's skyline providing a magnificent backdrop to
a rousing opening ceremony, dedicated to the more than 3,500
athletes in attendance from all corners of the world.
The 27,000 people at Marina Bay were treated to a two-hour
show that showcased Singapore's rich history and celebrated
the cultural diversity of the country's indigenous people
and the young Olympians, aged 14 to 18, who will compete in
the Games' 26 events.
The inaugural competition is designed to be a stepping-stone
for young athletes striving to compete at the Summer
Olympics. And while sport will be the main focus over the
next two weeks, there is a simultaneous cultural and
educational programme to teach the athletes from the 204
participating countries about Olympic values and global
issues.
" We open a new chapter in the history of the Olympic
Movement. From this moment on, young people from around the
world have a chance to participate in a global event that
combines sport, education and culture," IOC president
Jacques Rogge said. “To win, you merely have to cross the
finish line," he said.. To be a champion, you have to
inspire admiration for your character, as well as for your
physical talent."
The Games were officially opened by Singapore president S R
Nathan who said: "Throughout this programme, our young
Olympians will take part in activities and discussions on
global and social issues as well as learn how they can make
a positive impact in their community."
The show was tailored for the age group it was addressing
and its messages ranged from fairness in competition to
combating hunger and disease and promoting world peace. It
also included 54 teen-oriented multimedia videos
specifically produced for the opening ceremony.
This is an excellent opportunity for our young athletes to
participate in these Games” said IOC member and President of
the St. Lucia Olympic Committee, Richard Peterkin.
"Tonight’s ceremony really focused on the athletes, it was
very dynamic and highlighted the challenges that all young
athletes face in trying to achieve their goals.”
The opening ceremony marked the first time Olympic athletes
were brought into the event early and did not march behind
the flags of their country. Instead, they entered from both
sides of the stage of the Marina Bay venue while spectators
rose to their feet, clapping and cheering them. Included in
the procession of competitors were the five young athletes
from St. Lucia, Boxer Lyndell Marcellin, Runner Rosen
Daniel, Sailor Stephanie Lovell and Swimmers Julien Brice
and Siona Huxley, accompanied by their coaches and head of
delegation, Olympian Jamie Peterkin.
The athletes’ entrance was followed by a thunderous display
of drumming, accompanied by myriad dancers of all ages. At
one point, a menacing monster that represented the inner
fears and struggles of everyone in attendance cast an
imposing shadow over the event.
More than 5,000 performers,
including children from 47 Singapore schools, were involved
in the ceremony.
Throughout the show, fireworks lit the sky. More than 2,000
were used and they were synchronised to the music and shot
from the crowns of various buildings around Marina Bay. The
result was a spectacular occasion from beginning to end.
In the latter part of the ceremony, the flags of all 204
participating nations were brought onto the stage by
representative athletes, and swimmer Siona Huxley, the sole
local qualifier for the Youth Olympics, proudly carried the
St. Lucia flag on stage.
Sailor Darren Choy, Singapore's 2010 Sports Boy of the Year,
was given the honour of lighting the Youth Olympic flame.
Choy competes in the boys' one-person dinghy event and the
32-metre high cauldron he ignited resembled a lighthouse to
symbolise a guiding light that welcomes people to a safe
harbour.
Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, who won eight gold
medals at the Beijing 2008 Games, reminded the young
athletes that winning was not everything. In a video
address, he said: “Do your best but above all, have fun.(
Picture by Chris Huxley )
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