Francique & Regis are favourites for Sports Awards

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Jan 27 – Grenada’s world ranked athlete Alleyne Francique is among favourites for the Sportsman for 2006 at the National Sports Award Ceremony taking place here on Saturday. Francique, who arrived here earlier this week, is a frontrunner for the annual sports award organised by the Grenada Olympic Committee. He retained the World Indoor 400-metre title last year March in Russia and a few weeks later, captured silver at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. He has been named the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) world male athlete of the year for 2006 and is expected to receive this award at Saturday’s ceremony. Hazel-Ann Regis, who opened her 2007 indoor season with a second-place finish in the women’s 200m at the Norwich Union International in Glasgow on Saturday, is favoured for the women’s title. Regis completed 2006 as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) 21st ranked athlete in the 400m. She won the Carolina Classics in Puerto Rico in May, recorded her season’s best 50.94 at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix in Gateshead in June and was the silver medallist at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Colombia in July. Other contenders for the titles are West Indies cricketer Rawl Lewis; Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) lightweight novice silver medallist Jude Daniel and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) swimming sensation, Tuesday Watts. Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell is the guest speaker for the award ceremony.