IT has been an incredible year on the international paddling circuit for uMdloti resident Hamish Lovemore.

The 26-year-old, who is training for the upcoming Fish River Canoe Marathon, has won four silver medals at three international events this year.

Earlier this year he won a silver medal in the K1 1000m race at the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Canoe Sprint World Cup in Hungary.

He followed that up with two silvers at the World Games in Chengdu, China, in August, and a few days later he won a silver in the K1 5000m at the ICF Sprint World Championships in Milan, Italy.

Also read: Mount Edgecombe paddler puts in star performance at world champs

Although he was scheduled to compete at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Gyor, Hungary, in early September, illness prevented him from competing.

“I travelled to Hungary with the South African team but I must have picked something up on the plane. I didn’t get to start any of the events and spent the competition sick in bed. Having said that, if you could’ve given me this season I’ve had at the beginning of the year, I would have taken it with both hands. The whole year it has been silver medals.

“It’s been a great year. My goal was to get into the A final in Hungary in May, which I did, but then to get a medal there was amazing. Now the challenge is to get myself back to this same level next year as the 2028 Olympic qualifiers take place across the world. I would love to have the chance to once again represent South Africa at the Olympics,” he said.

While it was difficult, Lovemore said if he had to choose his proudest achievement this year it would be winning silver at the K1 1000m at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup.

“Winning silver at the Sprint World Cup was definitely one of the highlights for me. It was my first international race of the year and my first World Cup medal at a senior level in the 1000m event. The level of the competition was so high, even when you look at the starting line-up of the A final, it shows how many athletes with pedigree were competing. There were six of the eight finalists from last year’s Olympics, so it was awesome to podium. The World Games was also a great effort because the heat and humidity really made conditions challenging,” he said.

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