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Within two weeks, we go from the roughest water on our calendar to the flattest.
If you are an Umko novice and remained on the fence this year, you missed out big time.
I cannot ever remember a less intimidating river level. And the water was beautiful and clean and the weather superb.
The medium / low level introduced an element of technicality that led to a number of people running out of talent prematurely, but overall, the majority of the field had a fantastic experience, through a majestic valley.
Pre-race favourites, and multiple times previous winners, Hank McGregor and Wayne Jacobs, experienced some boat admin early on Day One of the race and fell off the hectic pace being set by last years silver medallists, Matt Fenn and Brad Boulle, who eventually built up a lead of nine minutes. Proving that day one was not just a flash in the pan, they proceeded to increase their lead by a further 8 minutes on the second day.
Hank and Wayne had some additional pressure placed on their second place when they were caught by the junior pairing of Keegan Vogt and James Gotte. The last two steps on the podium being decided by an end sprint, which the old men won.
The organisers introduced a new category for this years race, being that of “family members”. The category was enthusiastically supported with numerous partnerships of siblings, parents and children, husbands and wives, etc. The winners being Jacques and Jen Theron who finished in an incredible 7th place overall.
Superb organisation, great sponsors (Stihl and Superbok), a very special group of paddlers and a magnificent river, make this one of the most memorable weekends on our calendars.
Next year will be a superb opportunity for an influx into the race, as we celebrate the 60th running of this iconic event. What more motivation does one need?
From the turbulent Umko to the flat lanes of Roodeplaat dam, in Pretoria, for the sprinting highlight of the year, the SA Schools and SA Sprint Championships.
Hosted by Paddlesport Eastern Cape, the event attracts the attention of all the top sprinters in the country, and is the selection event for a number of international regatta’s over the next few months. For many hopefuls, it is the start of their LA 28 Olympic campaign.
The event is held over 3 days, from yesterday until Sunday, with one of the most exciting events, the 5000m K1 being held on Saturday afternoon. On Friday, the paddlers concentrated on the 1000m distance with World Cup silver medallist Hamish Lovemore grabbing the men's 1 000m title and former Olympic medallist Bridgitte Hartley rediscovering past glories in the women's event. On Saturday the 500m, and on Sunday, the 200m.
Besides Hamish Lovemore, there are a number of young rising stars who have an eye on emulating the performance of our sprinting hero.
We have secured livestreaming for the event. The login links for each session are as follows: |
