Paddlers make a splash at Homestead Dam

There the Gauteng team was selected to represent the province at the upcoming South African Marathon Championships, which takes place next month, ahead of the 2017 World Marathon Canoe Championships which will take place in Pietermaritzburg in the first week of September.

On Saturday, paddlers battled it out in their K1 (singles) boats.

Once the frost had melted, it was a glorious sunny winter’s day with little wind.

The little “Guppy” racers kicked the day off with their races in u-8 to u-12 age group with their own course and relevant distances.

The u-18 men, through to and including sub masters (45 to 49 years old), did 22km (six laps and five portages) followed by the women as well as the men older than the sub masters who did 17km (five laps with four portages).

Paddlers over 65 didn’t do any portages.

The u-16 juniors completed 14km (four laps with three portages) and the u-14 age group raced 11km, being three laps and two portages.

Of the women paddlers who raced 17km, Natali Coetzee (Watuni) was the only senior lady competitor, finishing in a time of one hour and 59 minutes, while Holly Spencer (DABS) and Asanda Ndlovu (SOW) finished as the first and second u-23 ladies, with respective times of one hour and 40 minutes and one hour and 59 minutes.

The veteran ladies were led by Caroline Filmalter (WAT), who had an unfortunate swim at the start, but, despite her concern about losing time, she made it up and still finished first in one hour and 51 minutes.

Novice Hanli Bezuidenhout (CEN) partaking in her first flat water race finished second in two hours and one minute while Jessica Booyzen (WAT), also relatively new to the sport, managed third place in two hours and 14 minutes.

Caroline van der Linde (LIK) led the u-18 girls’ race finishing in one hour and 48 minutes with Sinazo Mnqokoyi (SOW) second in two hours and nine minutes while Megan Oelofse (LIK) was the first u-16 finisher in one hour 22 minutes and 35 seconds followed by Alexis Rich (DABS) in one hour, 22 minutes and 51 seconds.

In the u-14 girls’ race, Jo-Anne Prinsloo (LIK) was the first finisher in one hour and six minutes with Kamilah Hank (FLO) second in one hour and eight minutes and Tinyiko Mahwayi (SOW) in third in one hour and 14 minutes.

The indomitable Anna Clifford Arwidi (DABS) was the first sub master women finisher, in a time of one hour and 43 minutes.

Minnie Kretzschmar (DABS) was the first grand master women finisher in one hour and 58 minutes.

Of the men competitors the seniors were led by Michael Arthur (DABS) who, with Wayne Jacobs, opened up a huge gap between them and the first bunch, with Arthur finishing the 22km (six laps and five portages) in one hour and 39 minutes followed by Siseko Ntondini (SOW) in one hour and 41 minutes, Benoni’s Nicholas Weeks (ERK) came in at one hour and 42 minutes and Phineas Zulu (SOW) came in at one hour and 43 minutes as the first four senior men age category finishers.

The two u-23 finishers were Peter Chissano (JCC) and Moshe Nghomani (FLCC) in one hour and 53 minutes and one hour and 56 minutes respectively.

The junior u-18 boy finishers were Tristan Trican (FLO), Benoni’s Liam Stewart (ERK) and Siphiwe Makhubo (SOW) in one hour and 48 minutes, one hour and 54 minutes and two hours and 26 minutes respectively.

Wayne Jacobs (DABS), who led the race with Michael Arthur, finished as first sub veteran in one hour and 39 minutes with Elton du Preez (CEN) in one hour and 43 minutes as the second sub veteran.

The top veteran finishers were Dave Hamilton-Brown (DABS) in one hour, 43 minutes and 42 seconds, Kobus Filmalter (WAT) one hour, 43 minutes and 49 seconds, and Kelvin Byres (DABS) in one hour, 46 minutes and 24 seconds.

The sub master men were led by Benoni’s Michael Stewart (ERK) in one hour and 41 minutes with Luke Symons (DABS) in second place in one hour and 43 minutes and Gustav Smook (LOW) finishing as the third sub master in one hour and 46 minutes.

In the master men’s age category racing 17km Malcolm Stothard (DABS), Willem Landman and Andrew Cooper were the first three finishers.

Colin Wilson (DABS) was the first sub grand master finisher with Hardus Theunissen (FLCC) as the second sub grand master finisher.

Graham Holm (DABS) was the only grand master finisher at the event in a time of one hour and 40 minutes while the great grand master finishers were Brian Longley in one hour and 32 minutes, Peter O’Connor (both DABS) in one hour and 35 minutes and Vincent Buttrick in one hour and 39 minutes as the first three finishers.

Calvin Mokoto and Radoslaw Olszewski (ERK) were the C1 men finishers, just one second apart in one hour, 42 minutes and 55/56 seconds.

Constant Olivier (FLO) was the only Para canoeist racer, with a finishing time of one hour and 26 minutes.

The top u-16 boys (14km) were Zanenhlanhla Mbala (SOW), Gustav Jnr Smook (LOW) and Wongama Makhasi (SOW).

The u-14 top finishers (11km) were Finlay Leask, Ruan van Pletzem and Luca Pierini.

Sunday’s full K2 (doubles) results:

Another lovely day of sunshine and calm waters was experienced on Sunday.

With no senior women competing, it was the sub master woman, Anna Clifford Arwidi (DABS) who was the first female finisher in the 17km race (five laps with four portages) in one hour and 43 minutes with the master women finishing next.

Sylvia Nel, and Katarzyna Lapacz (LIK/FLO) finished in one hour and 44 minutes.

Shelley Robertson and Gertruida Van Der Westhuizen (CRO/CEN) finished next in two hours and 10 minutes as the sub veteran women.

The u-14 girls finished their 11km (three laps and two portages) with Jo-Ane Prinsloo and Kamilah Hank (LIK/FLO) leading in one hour and two minutes followed by SOW crew Tinyiko Mahwayi and Thembelihle Jokozela who finished in one hour and 11 minutes.

The mixed doubles at the Gauteng K2 Championships were all veteran crews, led by Kobus Filmalter and Caroline Filmalter (WAT) who finished in one hour and 44 minutes.

The second place finishers were Kelvin and Taflin Byres (DABS) finishing in one hour and 55 minutes while Andre Zandbergh and Jessica Booyzen (WAT) finished in two hours and four minutes followed by Jason Brown and Sonja Bohnsack (DABS) finishing in two hours and six minutes.

The C2 men crew of Calvin Mokoto and Radoslaw Olszewski (ERK) finished their race in one hour and 36 minutes.

The men crews finished 22km, consisting of six laps and five portages, with the leading men also being from mixed age groups.

The fastest time of the day was brought in by the sub veteran team of Dave Hamilton-Brown and Wayne Jacobs (DABS) in on hour, 36 minutes and 17 seconds while Elton du Preez and Willem Landman (CEN) were the next sub veteran finishers.

The next fastest time at the GCU K2 Marathon Champs was clocked by u-23 Siyabonga Tyiki and Thando Ngamlana (SOW) in one hour, 36 minutes and 18 seconds, a very close race between the youngsters and the veterans.

Tristan Trican and Moshe Nghomani (FLO) finished as the second u-23s in one hour and 44 minutes.

The third fastest time was from the u-18 Sowetan team of Sibusiso Chwayi and Zanenhlanhla Mbala in one hour, 37 minutes and 46 seconds, with second place in the juniors going to Bambo Fanteni and Buhlebenkosi Phakathi (SOW) in one hour, 38 minutes and 59 seconds and the third junior u-18 crew were Gustav Smook (LOW) and Liam Stewart (ERK) in one hour and 46 minutes.

The senior men of Michael-John Robb and Grant Ahlschlager (DABS) finished in one hour, 39 minutes and 23 seconds with Phinease Zulu and Zonele Nzuza right behind them chasing them to the finish in one hour, 39 minutes and 55 seconds (SOW).

Colin Wilson and Roy Clegg (DABS/VIC) finished as first veterans in one hour and 39 minutes, followed by Shaun Maphanga and Douw Kruger (FLO) in one hour and 51 mintes, and Wikus Loots with Colin Turner finishing in one hour and 55 minutes (LOW).

In the sub master men group it was Michael Stewart and Gustav Smook (ERK/LOW) who led the race finishing in one hour, 39 minutes and 36 seconds, while James Godden and Luke Symons (DABS) finished as the second best sub masters in one hour, 39 minutes and seconds followed by Andrew Hall/Barry Painting (DABS) in one hour, 42 minutes and 46 seconds, and Malcolm Stothard and Pieter Engelbrecht (ERK/DABS) in one hour, 42 minutes and 48 seconds.

Andrew Cooper followed them with Nicholas Warren (DABS) in one hour, 46 minutes and four seconds.

The sub grand master men completed 17km (five laps and four portages of 100m), bringing in Jim Davies and Lloyde Hanson (DABS) in one hour and 27 minutes, while the first grand master men finishers were Gary Ralph and Graham Holm (DABS) in one hour and 35 minutes, followed by Keith Beeston and John Rowan (JCC/ERK) in one hour and 48 minutes and the great grand masters Brian Longley and Peter O’Connor (DABS) finished without portages in one hour and 28 minutes.

The u-16 boys who did 14km (four laps and three portages) were Wongama Makhasi and Benjamin Mntonintshi (SOW), finishing in one hour and 14 minutes, while the u-14 boys team of Adrian Rodd and Finlay Leask (DABS) finished their 11km race (with two portages) in 56 minutes.

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