SOUTH Africa’s most decorated sprint paddler Bridgitte Hartley is focused and determined to stamp her mark on the 2021 MyLife Dusi Canoe Marathon from 18-20 March.

Hartley is one of many paddlers to have a heightened interest in the three-day classic, after the green light was given for the popular annual event.

This race will provide Hartley with the much needed race time heading into the Olympic games later this year, after a number of planned events were cancelled or postponed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The recent rains have filled the rivers nicely, providing competitors with a great surface to perform.
A new sponsor has climbed on board this year, which is great owing to the financial difficulties businesses are experiencing due to the pandemic.

Hartley’s best Dusi result came in 2018, when she ended second overall in a K2 with Christie Mackenzie; however, her K1 results have not been as strong.

This is something that the Olympic bronze medallist would like to change and as a result has been training very hard with the likes of Dusi specialists Thulani Mbanjwa and Khumbulani Nzimande at Nagle Dam in preparation for this year’s event.

Given the current state of affairs and the forever-changing landscape, Hartley still has ambitions about giving this year’s Olympic Games qualification a go, but she is stuck in two-minds about her long-term plans.
Entry details and more information for the 2021 MyLife Dusi Canoe Marathon can be found at www.dusi.co.za.