McGregor chases gold at upcoming World Championships in Romania

Salt Rock’s Hank McGregor will be competing for an unprecedented 12th and 13th canoe marathon world championship in Romania next week (September 30 – October 3).

McGregor, one of the most successful competitors in world championship history, already has 7 K1 (individual) and 4 K2 (team) gold medals over the past 18 years.

His dominance has defied the passing of time, winning his first title in 2003 and his most recent in 2019.

“I am really looking forward to being out on the water in the world champs again. I felt like I had a good competition in 2019, so it was sad to miss last year which was postponed because of Covid,” he said.

McGregor will be competing for 2 further titles this year, racing the K2 with Hamish Lovemore and the K1.

“Hamish is a really strong young paddler. We train together often so I think we have a good understanding of each other and should put in a strong showing.”

McGregor, now 43, continues to perform among the top paddlers in the world, showing a singular willpower and drive to carry on winning.

“At times I feel like… is it worth putting my body through this? But then I get back out onto the water and remember that I am doing it because I love the sport. Age is just a number and if I am feeling good and competitive then I see no reason to stop.”

In preparation for the event, McGregor raced the Liebenbergsvlei Canoe Marathon, which doubled as the South African K1 River Championship. He won in a time of 4:40:56, edging out 2 promising U23 paddlers, Siseko Ntondini and Thando Ngamlana.

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