Umdloti’s Hamish Lovemore paddles to SA K2 River title with Andy Birkett
The pair held off Greg Louw and Matthew Fenn to claim the deciding Fish River Canoe Marathon race.
Umdloti paddler Hamish Lovemore and East London’s Andy Birkett clinched the 2025 South African K2 river title at the Fish River Canoe Marathon in Cradock over the weekend of October 10-11.
The duo delivered a masterclass in endurance and race strategy, completing the two-day race in a combined time of 4:42:52, narrowly edging out Greg Louw and Matthew Fenn (4:43:54) by just over a minute.
They clocked 2:45:55 on Day 1 and followed it up with a blistering 1:56:56 on Day 2.
“It was a really cool race!” said Lovemore, who celebrated his first Fish River victory after six attempts.
“The rapids were crazy and the water was wild, it’s the one I really wanted.”
Despite their strong finish, the win was hard-earned. Louw and Fenn kept relentless pressure on the pair, with the lead in doubt until the final stretch.
“On Day 2, the racing and tactics were not one-sided at all,” said Birkett.
“We were there to try and win and so were they. They were trying hard to wear us down and we were doing the same to them.”
Lovemore credited their focused preparation and Birkett’s experience for the victory.
“We had two good weeks of training and we made no mistakes. Greg and Matthew pushed us hard but our tactics of sticking with them paid off. Andy led the way, I just shut up and paddled.”
The win caps off a stellar year for Lovemore, the 2022 U23 Canoe Marathon world champion.
In August, he earned two silver medals at the World Games in Chengdu, China and another silver at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan.
Next up for Lovemore is the 9th ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in Durban this weekend, where he will team up with Mt Edgecombe’s Jenna Nisbet in the SS2 Mixed Seniors race.
READ MORE: Umdloti paddlers Hockly and Lovemore win double silver at world championships | North Coast Courier
“It has been a busy year. My body was tired, but I am looking forward to this weekend’s event. It is going to be the biggest surf ski event in history.”
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