Umdloti paddler Hamish Lovemore was once again the shining light for South African paddlers at the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup in Brandenburg, Germany last weekend, reports Northglen News.

Lovemore won a silver and a bronze in icy conditions.

The 26-year-old raced to a spectacular second place in the final of the K1 1000m event and then followed that up with a bronze medal in the K1 5000m event a day later.

His triumph follows on from a bronze medal he won at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup regatta in Szeged, Hungary (in the K1 5000m race) earlier this month.

Important ranking points

With his goals set firmly on qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, Lovemore can take heart from his performance in Germany in the K1 1000m event, which is the Olympic-distance event.

“There are eight international races between now and 2028 and all of them count for ranking points for the Olympic Games. It was nice to start strong especially as the two races in Hungary and Germany were completely different. In Hungary in the K1 1000m race I won my heats, I won the semi-final and felt really confident but I didn’t have the best final and I finished ninth,” said Lovemore.

“Then in Germany, I didn’t have the best heats nor the best semi-final but then I finished strongly in the finals which I was really happy with. Now that these two events are behind me I can focus fully on the world champs in Poland and then the African champs in Algeria. There are three months to go to Poland and then a further two before the continental championships. This is a big international season and I hope to do as much preparation as I can before each event,” he added.

Training camp in Spain

Prior to the start of the international race season, Lovemore spent some time in Spain training with the Danish paddling team.

“We spent two weeks in Sevilla, it was such a beautiful city. I often train with the Danish national team. It’s awesome to work with them and sharpen up a few of the things I needed to work on. This is my fifth time going with them. I work really well with their coach and I find it’s super beneficial for my season. It was also a quiet time at home and the perfect time to work with some other athletes,” said Lovemore.

Eye on 2028 Olympics

In 2024, Lovemore represented SA at the Olympic Games in Paris where he competed in the sprint events in both the K2 500m and K1 1000m.

Over the next two years Lovemore plans to focus on the singles (K1) competition to secure a position on Team SA.

“Being involved in the Olympics in 2024 was one of the best experiences ever. I think the biggest thing it proved to me is that I can be competitive. Before Paris I was just looking forward to the experience whereas now I’m focusing on trying to be in the mix for the medals in LA. It’s a huge goal but I’m really looking forward to it and representing my country once again,” he said.

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