Zondi claims Dusi double with McGregor
Dusi Canoe Marathon champion Sbonelo Zondi’s fairytale KwaZulu-Natal river marathon season continued when he and triple Canoe Marathon World Champion Hank McGregor
RECENTLY crowned Dusi Canoe Marathon champion Sbonelo Zondi’s fairytale KwaZulu-Natal river marathon season continued on Friday when he and triple Canoe Marathon World Champion Hank McGregor, claimed a commanding victory in the exhausting Non-Stop Dusi Canoe Marathon.
Having clinched this year’s Dusi title just two weeks’ ago with partner Andy Birkett, Zondi again showed why he is regarded as one of the top emerging stars on the uMsunduzi and uMngeni Rivers.
Zondi dropped a last minute bombshell by changing his K1 plans to a K2 entry with none other than Canoe Marathon World Champion Hank McGregor.
“It is just unbelievable to have won both the Dusi and the Non-Stop Dusi this year,” said a thrilled Zondi afterwards.
“I’m especially happy because Andy (Birkett) and I worked so, so hard before Dusi and so its really nice to enjoy the rewards now. I would also like the thank Hank for agreeing to be my partner right at the last minute as well as our seconding crew, without them we probably would have been tempted to have pulled out at some point today,” he added with a weary chuckle.
For McGregor, who took the event by storm in 2006 when he became the first person to win in a K1, the win is his second Non-Stop Dusi title.
“It is really hard to explain how much pain we went through, especially going over Burma Road portage,” said McGregor.
“It was an honour to paddle with Sbonelo today. He was just so strong and now I know exactly why he won the Dusi this year, he deserved it,” he said.
The women’s race was a ding-dong battle for much of the early part of the encounter as the Adie twins, Abby and Alex, went up against Robyn Kime in her K1.
The Adies however managed to edge ahead for the first time at Mission Rapid and, aided by Kime picking up a hole in the bottom of her boat, managed to steadily pull away and make the title their own.
“It really is so special to have won with my sister, especially after my Dusi disappointment,” said Abby. “We didn’t have a single problem the whole day. We couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
For results and more info visit www.nonstopdusi.co.za
