Umdloti paddlers power to the podium at SA Canoeing Sprint Championships
Hamish Lovemore won a clean sweep of three gold medals, while Saskia Hockly claimed three medals of her own.
Umdloti’s Hamish Lovemore is the country’s best sprint canoeist.
The 25-year-old, an Olympian in Paris last year, won all three races he entered at the South African Sprint Canoeing Championships last weekend. Held at the Roodeplaat Dam north of Pretoria, the event attracted hundreds of the country’s best paddlers from juniors right through to grand master.
Competing in the premier senior men’s races, Hamish claimed two individual and one team gold.
In the 500m K1, Hamish showed international-level speed against a strong field, finishing in a time of 1:45:52, almost three seconds ahead of second placed Ulvard “Uli” Hart.
It was Hamish vs Hart in the longer 1 000m K1 race too, but the extra distance only made the gap larger. The Umdloti paddler powered to victory in a time of 3:48:64, over seven seconds ahead of the trailing pack.
Photo: Bertie Baard.
In his final event of the weekend, Hamish reunited with paddling partner Andy Birkett (East London), with whom he made an Olympic semi-final last year. The duo was the obvious team to beat in the 500m K2 race but showed their class in one of the tighter events of the championships, claiming gold in 1:36:24.
Umdloti was further well represented in the women’s events, as rising star Saskia Hockly earned two silver medals and one bronze from her races.
Her two silvers came with partner Georgia Singe (Cape Town) in the 500m and 1 000m K2 races. In the shorter sprint, Saskia and Georgia finished in a time of 1:55:91, narrowly missing out on the top spot claimed by Kira Bester and Jade Wilson.
It was the same two teams vying for victory in the 1 000m event and Saskia and Georgia again finished second in 4:08:47.
Saskia’s bronze medal came in the longest race of the championships, the 5 000m K1, which was unbelievably close despite the distance. Her overall time of 24:31:72 was less than two seconds behind Bester in first and Wilson in second.
Saskia competed in two more events, the 500m and 1 000m K1, and finished fourth in both.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
