Oceanne Moirt

Happy birthday to Mauritius’s Oceanne Moirt, the fastest woman in the history of her country.

On 7 June 2024 at a meeting in Colmar, France, Oceanne ran 11.64 over 100m. It was a Mauritian national record, and it took down a mark that had stood for thirty years. The reaction that mattered most came in her own comments, from Marie-France Mamedy, who was Mauritius’s 100m champion in the 1980s: congratulations, you were faster than me, my record was 11.76, respect. There are not many ways to be handed a country’s history more directly than that.

She had already collected three medals at the Indian Ocean Island Games in Antananarivo in 2023: bronze over 100m, silver over 200m, and silver in the 4x100m. Her 200m best of 24.01 was run at the Jeux de la Francophonie in Kinshasa the same year. Since then she has raced the African Games in Accra and the African Senior Championships, and this summer she won 100m titles at Riedisheim and Annecy in France, doubled up with the 200m at Annecy, and ran 11.84 at Troyes.

Her own words on the season are better than anything a magazine could write. She called it a journey, said the season reminded her why she loves the sport, and thanked the people who welcomed her with open arms and helped her regain the confidence to step back onto the track. It was not about times or results, she wrote. It was about rebuilding confidence and rediscovering the joy of competing. Then: see you next season.

She races for Nancy Athlétisme Métropole in France and for ASVP at home, is coached by Mauritius sprint coach Giovanni Lindor, and trains through the Côte d’Or high performance centre.

Happy birthday, Oceanne! Zwaye laniverser, and here is to a great deal more speed next season. Alé Moris! 🎂🎁🎉🫶🫶🇲🇺