Veteran paddlers take silver in race

They cruised to a victorious second-place podium position in the veteran-age
category, finishing the 80km over two days in four hours 51 minutes.
The
rest of the Lowveld canoeing team seems to much prefer the exciting rapids on
our local Elands and Croc rivers to the long, hard-slog flat water of the
Vaal!
With attractive prize money and excellent sponsorships the Vaal River
SA K2 Championships doubles canoe race was won by the very best South African
canoeists, with international recognition and acclaim.
The event started on
Saturday November 2 below the Vaal Dam wall, with day two on the Sunday
beginning below the Vaal River Barrage to end upriver from Parys, at Smiling
Thru Holiday Resort.
Local canoeists were keen to enjoy the opportunity of
racing with top internationally recognised paddlers and South Africa’s very best
and the Lowvelders made sure that they covered the travel distance to compete
and hold their own.
Hank McGregor, the 2013 world-marathon champion, took the
gold having achieved every other title in South Africa for marathons, sprints,
surfski, with partner Jasper Mocke, broke away from the front bunch, after the
Benoude Boude rapid on the final stage, despite never having been in a boat
together before.
With other internationally recognised names such as Len
Jenkins, Greg Louw, Cam Schoeman as well as local Dusi podium winners Andy
Birkett and Sibonelo Zondi in the race, as well as top women Abby Adie, and
Olympic bronze medallist Bridget Hartley with Hilary Pitchford, it was a
fast-paced and star-studded race.