Great turnout for first rowing champs

The event was held in aid of Accelerated Academy, a small school in White River that will use the funds to kit a new class-room and supply the kids with sports gear.

Using Concept2 rowers, the rowing champions were crowned in 100 metres (kiddies), 500, 1 000, 2 000 and 5 000 metres, followed by a team event which consisted of 3 000 metres, 300 crossfit double unders and 300 burpees.

In the 5 000-metre division, which saw only 10 rowers brave this massive distance, Philip Marx took the spoils in 18:48,5. Among the female competitors, Leana Pieterse was crowned as the champion when she finished in just 20:48,8.

It was neck and neck as the males and females showed their mettle in the team challenge, but in the end it was Johan Lues and Lambert Joubert, as well as Lana Goedhart and Sarah Barnard who reigned supreme.

In the shorter but more intense 2 000 -metre division, Louis Eksteen had nothing left in the tank after he finished in 07:17,9. Carina Jansen powered her way to a win when she completed the same distance in just 09:10,3.

Jakkie Wiedemann made a clean sweep in the 1 000-metre division by finishing in a lightning fast 03:10,0. Making the judges think they were in the wrong category, Erika Victor wowed with a time of 03:36,7.

As if a win in the 5 000 metres wasn’t enough, Philip came back to clinch his second win for the day in the 500 metres, in a time that left his beard in rebellious bristles – 01:24,1. Adél Kotze took no prisoners and took the spoils in the same distance in 01:41,5.

In the shortest distance, the 100 metres for the less fierce competitors, Lindelani Mavuso and Page Bennetto took the win – the former in 22,1 and the latter in 27,9.