Masters paddler Stewart still going strong

East Rand Kayak (ERK) paddler, Michael Stewart continued his stellar season with a disciplined and stunning display at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Portugal recently.

Competing in the Masters 50-54 category, Michael obtained a fourth-place finish at the event held in Ponte de Lima.

Andrew Birkett and Hamish Lovemore were South Africa’s stand-out performers as they won gold medals in the men’s senior K-1 28.80km and men’s U23 26.20km categories, respectively.

South Africa returned from the event with a medal haul of two golds, one bronze and two silvers to finish fourth overall.

Crocodile River conquest

Straight after the world championships, Michael was at it again, this time finishing as the first master athlete at the Lowveld Croc River Race in Mpumalanga on October 22.

He finished seventh overall in a time of 02:10:00.

Michael’s son, Liam, finished in fourth place, placing ahead of the veteran for the first time.
“This signalled a time for a change of the old guard,” said Michael.

According to the Gauteng Canoe Union’s Jennie Dallas, the course offered the paddlers lots of challenges and this made the event even more competitive.

“It was a very technical river with fast flowing currents around numerous rocky sections as well as windy twisty corners and drops into large white water waves.

“The race is hosted by the Lowveld Canoe Club based in the area, with the start being from the Kwena Dam thanks to a water release allowed, and finishes at Old Joe’s Kaia – covering a distance of some 33 km,” she said.

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