• Home
  • Calendar
  • About
    • President’s Report 2024
    • CSA Presentations for ICF Conference
    • Admin Team
    • Understanding CSA
    • Discipline Committees
    • Financial Statements
    • Board
    • Accommodation Partner
    • AGM Minutes
      • 2025
      • 2024
      • 2023
  • Unions
    • WCCU
    • ECCU
    • KNCU
    • GCU
    • CDCU
  • Rules & Regulations
    • CSA Indemnity
    • Personal Flotation Devices
    • The Paddlers Handbook
    • SA Drug Free Sport
    • ICF Anti-Doping Rules
    • WADA Docs
      • WADA Prohibited List
      • Summary of Major Modifications
      • 2024 Monitoring Program
  • Disciplines
    • Canoe Marathon
      • 2025 World Games Selection
      • ICF Rules
      • Marathon Statistics
    • Surfski
      • 2025 World Ocean Racing (Surfski) Championships
      • ICF Rules
    • Canoe Polo
      • 2025 Canoe Polo Champs
      • ICF Rules
    • Canoe Sprint
      • ICF Rules
      • 2025 Sprints Selection Documents
    • Wave Ski
    • Stand Up Paddling
      • Overview
      • ICF Rules
      • SUPSA website
    • Canoe Slalom
      • 2025 Slalom Cross / Jnr & U23 Selection Documents
      • 2025 Slalom: Junior & U23 Selection Document
      • ICF Rules
    • Wild Water
      • ICF Rules
    • Canoe Freestyle
      • ICF Rules
  • Development
    • Contacts
    • Updates
  • Media
    • Latest News
    • Newsletter
      • President’s Post
      • Coppers Corner
      • Subscribe/Unsubscribe
    • Links
  • Information
    • CSA Ladder
    • National Colours
    • Team Managers Manual
    • Selection Documents
      • 2025 World Ocean Racing (Surfski) Championships
      • 2025 Marathon World Games Selection
      • 2025 Sprints Selection Documents
      • 2025 Slalom Cross / Jnr & U23 Selection Documents
      • 2025 Canoe Polo Champs
  • Admin Portal
    • Club Admin
    • Union Admin
    • Safety Officer Admin
    • CSA Admin
    • FAQs
  • Contact

Plenty of hope from international regatta

12/09/2023gpmedia

Poznan, Poland – The South Africa “Olympic Hopes” team of under 17 and under 16 sprint canoeists returned from Poland this week determined to use the experience of international competition as a springboard to future success.

In hot conditions in Poznan, Poland, the 12 young South Africans reached three B finals and one C final as well as a sprinkling of semi-finals in the four-day regatta. The event is organised under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation to expose the world’s most promising junior paddlers to the rigours of international competition.

The top K1 results came from under 17 Jordan Klopper who finished sixth and eighth in B finals in the 200m and 500m events respectively, while also reaching the C final for the longer 1 000m race.

Wandile Dube and Senzo Ngcobo were the stars of the K2 crews with an impressive eighth in the under 17 1 000m B final, and they also reached the semi-finals of the two shorter distances, while Tomé dos Santos and Sikhanyisele Dekeda made it into the semis in the under 17 1 000m.

Among the girls, Luyanda Mkhunya and Thandeka Ndlovu showed remarkable consistency with three under 17 semi-final results, while Kayla Szalay was the only under 16 to get beyond the heats when she eased into the semis for the K1 1 000m.

Team manager Jodie Ellinor-Dreyer said she was very proud of each of the 12 paddlers in the team.

“Overall I think it was a very successful tour for all the athletes,” said Dreyer on Tuesday. “Each and every one of them worked tremendously hard and they remained focused and gave of their best.

“There were 778 athletes from 42 different countries at the Olympic Hopes regatta so the competition was extremely tough, but all our athletes did their best. Some of the South African team were disappointed that their results did not reflect the huge effort and time they put into training, but none of the athletes are deflated.

“All of them are upbeat and after the experience are more determined and they are now also aware of what they need to do to reach finals and get on the podium at international competitions.

“For me, all 12 athletes embodied the adage: ‘You must make the choice to take the chance to make a meaningful change.’

“I believe the experience they have gained will help them when they compete locally and at international events, but they will also become ambassadors for canoeing at the clubs where they train, at their schools and in their respective communities,” added Ellinor-Dreyer.

South African results at the Olympic Hopes Regatta
U17:
Jordan Klopper:
K1 200m – B final 6th; K1 500m – B final 8th; K1 1 000m – C final 6th
Theo Dreyer:
K1 200m – heat 7th; K1 500m – heat 7th; K1 1 000m – heat 7th
Wandile Dube & Senzo Ngcobo:
K2 200m – semi-final 8th; K2 500m – semi-final 9th; K2 1 000m – B final 8th
Luyanda Mkhunya & Thandeka Ndlovu:
K2 1 000m – semi-final 8th; K2 200m – semi-final 6th; K2 500m – semi-final 8th
Tomé dos Santos & Sikhanyisele Dekeda:
K2 500m – heat 8th; K2 1 000m – semi-final 8th

U16:
Kayla Szalay:
K1 1 000m – semi-final 9th; K1 200m – heat 9th; K1 500m – heat 9th
Nkanyezi Hlongwane:
K1 200m – heat 9th
Tyde Malherbe:
K1 200m- heat 9th; K1 500m – heat 5th; K1 1 000m – heat 7th
Nkanyezi Hlongwane & Christopher Mpiti:
K2 200m – heat 8th; K2 500m – heat 9th; K2 1 000m – heat 9th

Previous Post Looking to the future at Olympic Hopes Regatta Next Post SA’s big-water paddlers aim for Paris 2024