Metkovic (Croatia) – The ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships started in an almost perfect fashion for Team South Africa in Metkovic, Croatia, on Thursday with a silver medal in the opening race while the team is quietly confident of adding to the tally on Day 2 on Friday.
Last year’s junior K2 gold medallist, Georgia Singe, set the standard as she added to her growing reputation in the first race on Thursday when she claimed the junior K1 silver medal after a tight battle with Portugal’s Maria Gomes.
In rainy conditions, Singe used her quick portaging to comfortably come out of every run in front, but had no answer to Gomes’ potent finish sprint and had to settle for second after Germany’s Caroline Heuser faded out of the race for silver.
Singe and Gomes were the dominant pair in a five-boat front group, with the Portuguese powering into each portage in front, while Singe was always first to re-enter the water after her slick portages, but neither were able to make a decisive break until the lead group was reduced to three on the final run.
Other South Africans in action on the opening day were the men’s and women’s short course entrants with Paris Olympic B Finalist Hamish Lovemore comfortably easing his way into Thursday’s final after he cruised home in second spot in his heat in the morning.
The final was delayed due to bad weather earlier in the day and Lovemore is due to race the final in the early evening on Thursday.
Clint Cook ended in a disappointing 13th in the other short course heat before being promoted to 12th, but was still edged out of a place in the final on time. Both Bridgitte Hartley and Pippa McGregor were also eliminated in the women’s heats, finishing 13th and 12th respectively and just outside the time needed to join the 20-paddler finals.
Firday’s programme starts with Singe chasing a second medal as she and Holly Smith defend their K2 title they won in Vejen, Denmark 12 months ago.
The Cape Town pair will be confident after Singe’s heroics on Thursday, but the duo will be marked by the other contenders and may find they are watched a little more closely than they were a year ago when they were relative unknowns on the start line.
The two U23 races provide a good opportunity for medals with Saskia Hockly a strong contender to at least match her bronze medal from 2023, while Uli Hart and Matt Fenn could both be fighting for places in the lead group in the men’s U23 K1 race.
The senior and junior boys K1 races are all scheduled to take place on Saturday, while the corresponding K2 races will be raced on Sunday.