Jade Wilson (RSA) and Nicole Birkett (RSA) in the K2 Women Senior Long Distance race during the 2024 Canoe Marathon World Championships on the River Neretva in Metkovic, Croatia.
Metkovic (Croatia) – Saskia Hockly and Christie Mackenzie left their best for last on Sunday at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Croatia when they overcame the disappointment of pulling out of their respective K1 races to claim a fifth silver medal for Team South Africa.
After both Hockly and Mackenzie were forced to withdraw from the U23 and senior K1 races respectively earlier in the week, the two 2023 bronze medallists were determined to rescue their regatta with a good result in the doubles race on the final day, and things turned out perfectly for them with a solid second-position finish.
In the men’s K2 race that wrapped up the regatta, the two South African crews were never really in contention for podium places as both the Hamish Lovemore / Andy Birkett and Uli Hart / Hank McGregor crews were found wanting when they needed to chase back to the leaders.
Hart and McGregor finished up fifth after chasing hard most of the afternoon in the second group. After paddling with the lead group for a while, Birkett and Lovemore withdrew to end a dismal weekend for Birkett after he sank in the K1 event. Lovemore, however, can look back on a superb silver medal from the short course event.
In the women’s K2, Hockly and Mackenzie were always in contention, and perfectly placed to capitalise when the second Hungarian crew of Panna Sinko and Panna Csepe suddenly veered left out of the lead bunch with a broken rudder.
At the time, the South African duo were contemplating a medal finish but facing a very tricky three-way battle against two top-quality Hungarian crews. However, once the Sinko and Csepe team were ruled out of the medal race, and with at least a silver virtually guaranteed, the two-way battle turned into a much more comfortable collaboration until the final battle for the finish line.
The confident Hungarian crew of Zsoka Csikos and Emese Kohalmi always seemed to be in control, with the ability to dominate when they needed to. So it was no real surprise when they broke away midway through the final lap and powered away to a solid 31-second victory over the two South Africans. Sweden’s Melina Andersson and Ella Richter finished third.
Clearly the South African’s were not completely within their comfort zone, as emphasised by Mackenzie, who was forced to withdraw from her K1 race on Saturday due to illness and was unable make the post race interviews as she struggled to recover from the silver-medal winning efforts.
Earlier in the race, the second South African crew of Jade Wilson and Nix Birkett lost contact with the leaders at the first portage, and although they managed to regain contact with the chasers after the lead group split, they lost time at almost every portage and eventually had to settle for a brave fifth overall.
Hockly and Mackenzie’s silver meant the South African team finish the regatta with very creditable five silver medals. The star of the week was undoubtedly Georgia Singe who ended with silver in both the K1 and K2 with Holly Smith. For the men, the medals went to two of the country’s rising stars, Lovemore in the short course on the opening day, and Uli Hart in the U23 K1.
The five medals mean South Africa finished tenth on the medal table.
Zsoka Csikos (HUN) and Emese Kohalmi (HUN) in the K2 Women Senior Long Distance race during the 2024 Canoe Marathon World Championships on the River Neretva in Metkovic, Croatia.