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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
General Interest | |
| Injuries | She has suffered back injuries during her career. (Athlete, 01 Aug 2014) She injured her elbow at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. (dailytelegraph.com.au, 02 Aug 2014) |
| Famous relatives | Her younger sister Rena has competed in weightlifting at international level. (virtualseychelles.com, 21 Jan 2012; virtualseychelles.com, 29 Nov 2010) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | "I found the sport very interesting." |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | Her mother. (Athlete, 01 Aug 2014) |
| Awards and honours | She was named Sportswoman of the Year at the Seychelles Sports Awards in 2013 and 2014. (seychellesnewsagency.com, 01 Aug 2017; nation.sc, 01 Feb 2014) She was Seychelles' flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. (GNS, 24 Jul 2014) She was named Female Lifter of the Year by the Seychelles Weightlifting Association [SWA] in 2009 and 2013. (nation.sc, 30 Dec 2013) She was named Young Female Athlete of the Year at the 2004 Seychelles Sports Awards. (nation.sc, 01 Feb 2014) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Zaher Hamdan [physical] |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She began the sport in 2000. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | Creole, English, French |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Stay determined in whatever you do. Practice makes perfect, so as long as you keep on training and learning, you will achieve your goals." (nation.sc, 04 Feb 2014) |
| Other information | ILLNESS She was diagnosed with a brain tumour during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, after having troubles with her vision. "I was having bad headaches. In the Seychelles they told me it was migraines. I was on lots of panadol [medication] but it wasn't going away. It felt like my head wanted to explode. It was so painful I had to wet my hair and put it in a bucket of water. I thought it would pass. You know lifters, they are very stubborn. I was fighting for gold [in Delhi], but I had an injury in my elbow so I had to stop. [Later] I couldn't see anything. I went to the medical centre in the [athletes'] village to see what was wrong with my eye. It was very painful. They told me to come back in two hours and by that time I couldn't see anything. It was a blackout. I had no vision. They said I was lucky I didn't push through with my competition because I would have died that day. The Games saved my life." (dailytelegraph.com.au, 02 Aug 2014) RECOVERY She did not take part in weightlifting for about two years after being diagnosed with a brain tumour at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. She required a 45-day recovery in Delhi after undergoing surgery, and had another operation a year later. "It took a lot of effort and sacrifice to come back after such a long lay-off. It takes a lot of investment for an athlete to produce good results and I had invested so much in myself before I got sick, and then I lost all of what I had invested. Many, many people told me it was not a good idea [to return to weightlifting]. Other people said, 'You are going to die, some veins will pop in your head', but I didn't listen to anyone." (dailytelegraph.com.au, 02 Aug 2014; nation.sc, 04 Feb 2014) |