THERE were plenty of local faces on the podium in the mixed doubles race at Saturday’s ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships as uMdloti’s Saskia Hockly and her SS2 (doubles) partner Matt Fenn claimed victory.

It was Hockly’s fifth world champs medal in her fifth Ocean Racing World Champs and it means she is now the world champion in the doubles category.

There was more to celebrate in the mixed doubles race as uMdloti resident Hamish Lovemore and Mount Edgecombe resident Jenna Nisbet snatched third place in the senior mixed doubles race.

The doubles race saw paddlers set off from the Durban Undersea Club (DUC) heading 27km south to Amanzimtoti.

South Africa also claimed victory in the junior and U23 categories, with Ryley Smith and Ellen Strydom (juniors) and Holly Smith and Heath Clarke (U23) securing a clean sweep of the three major titles.

“I think the race was a bit like flipping a coin. We had a great jump start and managed to get through the surf. I don’t think we got touched by the waves. Getting to the first turning buoy first was the pivotal point and we were really lucky, and from there we were in a good place,” Fenn said.

Selected Results (mixed doubles)

1 Matthew Fenn & Saskia Hockly (South Africa) 01:51:16
2 Thaïs Delrieux & Hector Henot (France) 01:53:34
3 Jenna Nisbet & Hamish Lovemore (South Africa) 01:56:56
4 Walter Bouzan & Judit Verges (Spain) 01:57:08
5 Paula Ruiz & Esteban Medina (Spain) 01:57:55
6 Chloe Bunnett & Jorge Vila Del Rosario (Spain) 01:59:11
7 Holly Smith & Heath Clarke (South Africa) 01:59:40
8 Nix Birkett & Andy Birkett (South Africa) 02:00:07
9 Sara Mengual & Pablo St Mary Palmero (Spain) 02:00:13
10 Margaux Bouteloup & Tanguy Cattelle (France) 02:00:33

Singles race crowns champs

In the SS1 (singles) race on Sunday, which saw paddlers race from Durban Undersea Club 34km to Westbrook, Australia’s Cory Hill took his fourth men’s title and Kira Bester repeated her win from 12 months ago in the women’s race.

Bester (23), from Cape Town, pointed to her cap and the sky as she crossed the line in an emotional tribute to her coach and mentor Peter Cole, who died earlier this year.

Her win was the catalyst for South African celebrations, but South Africa’s expected dominance of their home event never materialised, and the overwhelming sentiment after the race was how universal the sport has become, with five different countries represented in the men’s top five, and three nations represented on the women’s podium.

As she crossed the line, Bester paid tribute to her mentor Cole, who was recognised as one of the country’s leading coaches and is responsible for the success of many of the Western Cape’s young paddlers.

“Peter was my coach, but he was more than just a coach to his training squad,” said Bester. “The squad was like a family and he built that family, so yeah, he was like a father to us. He was definitely my mentor and he will always be for the rest of my life. His ethos is in every single one of his athletes.”

Meanwhile, Hill beat Frenchman Pierre Vilella by less than a minute, with Bernardo Pereira from Portugal taking third, to put two Europeans on the podium. Former World Champions, Nic Notten from South Africa and German Gordan Harbrecht, completed the top five.

Selected Results (Singles men)

1 Cory Hill (Australia) 02:05:22
2 Pierre Vilella (France) 02:06:05
3 Bernardo Pereira (Portugal) 02:06:15
4 Nicholas Notten (South Africa) 02:06:26
5 Gordan Harbrecht (Germany) 02:06:38

Selected Results (Singles women)

1 Kira Bester (South Africa) 02:22:46
2 Danielle Richards (New Zealand) 02:23:09
3 Rosie Edwards (GBR) 02:28:17
4 Georgia Singe (South Africa) 02:28:32
5 Judit Verges (Spain) 02:29:11

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