The Commonwealth Games are a four-yearly multisport event that brings together the best athletes from the Commonwealth member nations in various disciplines. Mauritius will proudly be taking part in the 2022 edition with no fewer than seven athletes from Moka Rangers Sports Club! We had a chat with them before they head off to Birmingham.
The event in a nutshell
Similar to the Summer Olympics, along with a few extra sports such as rugby sevens, lawn bowls and netball, the Commonwealth Games have been featuring the best athletes from member nations since 1930. After the 2018 edition in Australia, Birmingham in England will host the Games from 28 July to 8 August 2022. Seventy delegations from around the world will attend the event, from the Bahamas to Pakistan through Botswana. With the presence of giants like Australia, New Zealand, England and Canada, these games are a great opportunity for our island to prove its worth in a number of sports!
Seven Moka Rangers members among the Mauritian participants
The Mauritian delegation left the country on 17, 19, 21 and 22 July. Moka is proud to count seven members of Moka Rangers Sports Club among the athletes forming the national team:
Triathlon
Julie Staub, a member of the club’s cycling section and Laurent L’Entêté, a member of the swimming section, will both take part in the triathlon event starting at 11am on 29 July. This sport has been a fixture of the Games since 2002 with a 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run.
Cycling
Raphaëlle Lamusse, Yannick Lincoln and Aurélie Lincoln will represent Mauritius in various cycling events. All three will take part in the road race starting at 8am on Sunday 7 August. In addition, Yannick will compete in the mountain bike XCO event starting at 11.30am on Wednesday 3 August and Aurélie will take part in the individual time trial at 10am on 4 August.
“I must admit that I am very fortunate to get the chance to live such moments. My biggest goal is to represent my country at the Commonwealth Games. I worked very hard and made great sacrifices to qualify for the competition. I have had a lot of support from my employer since the beginning of the year. To be honest, I still have no real idea what to expect as an athlete – this is my first edition. The departure date is fast approaching and the excitement is building. I am making my final preparations in terms of training. I will take part in the road race on 7 August and we will finalise our preparation in Birmingham. I am aware that I will be performing at a very high level and I am realistic about the results I can achieve. It would be an exceptional performance for me to finish in the pack. Above all, I will be looking to gain experience by competing against the world’s best,” says Raphaëlle about the upcoming event
Swimming
The Mauritian swimmers, Gregory Anodin, Tessa Ip Hen Cheung and Bradley Vincent will compete in different swimming events:
Tessa Ip
- 50m Breaststroke on Friday 29 July
- 50m Freestyle on Saturday 30 July
- 100m Breaststroke on Monday 1 August
- 100m Freestyle on Monday 1 August
Gregory Anodin
- 50m Fly on Friday 29 July
- 100m Freestyle on Sunday 31 July
- 50m Breaststroke on Monday 1 August
- 50m Freestyle on Tuesday 2 August
Bradley Vincent
- 100m Freestyle on Sunday 31 July
- 50m Freestyle on Tuesday 2 August
The team will fly to Birmingham on 22 July to fine-tune its preparation! Tessa is looking forward to the departure date. “It will be my first Commonwealth Games. I’m really looking forward to competing, doing my best and improving my personal best while making the most of the event!”
Follow the Games’ events on the official Birmingham 2022 website as well as on Facebook and Instagram!
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