Is it acceptable to use 'respectively,' 'the former,' and 'the latter' in these sentences?

Is it acceptable to use 'respectively,' 'the former,' and 'the latter' in these sentences?

My nephew John and my cousin Alex were declared third placers in the essay-writing contests, English and French categories, respectively. “This is my first time to win in a writing competition,” the former stated. “I thought I would be a loser because I'm an amateur writer,” the latter added.