Team South Africa grabbed another three medals at the African Sprint Championships under way on a blustery Lake Tunis, with schoolgirls Kayla de Beer and Nokhaya Shange the toast of the team after a gutsy victory in their 500m K2 final.
The pair cantered home to clinch the final by an impressive three second margin over their Egyptian challengers, more than atoning for de beers disappointment from her 500m K1 final.
In that outing she battled in the strong gusting winds and fell out of her kayak. While this robbed her of her shot at another medal, it served to galvanise her and Shange for their K2 final, which they dominated from the gun.
Earlier in the day Pietermaritzburg racer Brittany Petersen locked antlers with Tunisian Olympian Abir Ben Isamail in the women’s 500m K1 final, which the local paddler won in tricky windy conditions, leaving Petersen to add a silver medal to team SA’s medal haul.
Another silver was added in the women’s k2 final when Nombuso Mzolo and Melanie van Niekerk stroked to second place intheir final behind the local sister Afef and Abir ben Isamail.
The focus now shifts to the mens and boy’s finals where Cape racers Luke Stowman and Joseph Williams raced convincingly into the 200m K2 final, and Martin van den Bergh did the same in the K1 200m heats.
Summary of Results – Day Two African Sprint Championships
Junior Women K2 500m Final
1 Kayla de Beer/Nokhaya Shange (RSA) 2:11.724
2 Mennatalla Hassan Ali/Sama Farouk Ibrahim (EGY) 2:14.827
3 Rahma Ben Chaabene/Rania Znati (TUN) 2:18.010
Womens K1 500m Final
1 Abir Ben Isamail (TUN) 2:03.921
2 Brittany Petersen (RSA) 2:08.737
3 Kathia Bra (SEN) 2:15.312
Womens K2 500m Final
1 Abir Ben Isamail/Afef Ben Isamail (TUN) 1:59.789
2 Melanie van Niekerk/Nombuso Mzolo (RSA) 2:13.289
3 Kathia Bra/ Seck Combe (SEN) 2:17.624