Gaylord Lucien D. Silly (; born 20 February 1986) is a French- Seychellois

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

who represents Seychelles internationally. Born in

Vendôme Vendôme (, ) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Loir-et-Cher, France. It is also the department's third-biggest Communes of France, commune with 15,856 inhabitants (2019). It is one of th ...

, France, to a Seychelloise mother and a French father, he holds dual nationality. His first regional event came in 2007 when he finished fourth in the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually Abbreviation, abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase (athletics), steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 met ...

at the 2007 Indian Ocean Island Games.Gaylord finishes 163rd
. '' Seychelles Nation'' (4 February 2008). Retrieved 2010-03-30. After finishing 49th at the 2008 Cross Ouest France, he took part in the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships as the sole representative of the Seychelles. Before the race, he stated that he wanted to push himself to his limits and said "my ambition is to make my country proud and to run a good race". His time of 43:03 for the 12 km men's race was over eight minutes behind the winner and he finished in 162nd place overall. Silly had been chosen by the Seychelles Athletics Federation instead of veteran Simon Labiche because Silly was living comparatively near to the race venue (

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

). Silly ran in the Semi Marathon de Vendome in 2009, running a

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

best of 1:10:44,Silly Gaylord

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

. Retrieved 30 March 2010. and as a result he was selected to represent the Seychelles for a second time, forming part of a Seychellois trio (including Labiche and Simone Zapha) competing at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. He finished in 90th place out of 94 finishers, although his time of 1:11:57 was just enough to beat compatriot Labiche. He returned to the world cross country stage with an appearance at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – again being the country's sole representative in the men's race. He finished in 121st position, over six minutes behind winner Joseph Ebuya who lapped him. However, Silly did manage to beat the entire four-man team sent by

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Silly also came home fifth, and last, place in his

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

heat at the

2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of fo ...

. His time of 1:54.93 minutes was less than five seconds off Antonio Manuel Reina's winning time, but was enough for a new national indoor record. He represented the Seychelles at the 2013 Jeux de la Francophonie and came seventh in the

with a personal best of 9:08.47 minutes. On the regional scene, he finished twelfth in the steeplechase at the 2014 African Championships. When not running competitively, Silly works as a tree surgeon in France.38th IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Biographical Start Lists

(2010). Retrieved 30 March 2010.

References

External links

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Athlete images on Flickr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silly, Gaylord 1986 births Living people Seychellois people of French descent Seychellois male middle-distance runners Seychellois male steeplechase runners Seychellois male cross country runners