HAMISH Lovemore will be aiming to do the country proud at the Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Poznan, Poland this weekend.

The uMdloti paddler, who is part of the SA team (which includes Esti Olivier and Bridgitte Hartley), will compete in the K1 1000m and K1 5000m races.

At last year’s world championships in Italy, Lovemore finished second in the K1 5000m event and missed out on the A Final.

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However, with two stunning World Cup results in May, the 27-year-old has proved a medal is a possibility.

The championships, which got underway on Wednesday (and runs until Sunday), comes with a significant weighting for qualification for the 2028 LA Olympic Games, which is based on results by country (not individual athletes) from April this year through to December 2027.

In 2024 Lovemore represented SA at the Olympic Games in Paris where he competed in the sprint events in the K2 500m and K1 1000m.

Over the next two years Lovemore plans to focus on the singles (K1) competition to secure a position on Team SA.

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“Being involved in the Olympics in 2024 was one of the best experiences ever. I think the biggest thing it proved to me is that I can be competitive. Before Paris I was just looking forward to the experience whereas now I’m focusing on trying to be in the mix for the medals in LA. It’s a huge goal but I’m really looking forward to it and representing my country once again,” he said.

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