Solms prepares for maiden K1 Dusi bid
Despite being one of the strongest river paddlers in the women's ranks for a number of years, Abby Solms has never won a K1 FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon title.
WITH the 2017 FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon fast approaching, women’s pre-race favourite Abby Solms is confident her preparations are well on track for the iconic three-day race from Camp Drift, Pietermaritzburg to Durban’s Blue Lagoon from 16 to 18 February, and ready to tackle any challenges that the weather and water may throw her way in the build-up to the big race.
While the drought continues to leave paddlers with limited opportunities to train on the river in simulated race conditions, Solms has made good use of KwaZulu-Natal’s recent pre-Dusi build-up races and has shown unrivalled form throughout.
The Euro Steel/Gara Racing Paddles athlete has already notched up two key race victories at the Ozzie Gladwin Canoe Marathon and the 50 Miler Canoe Marathon, recently, giving her good confidence as she heads into the second half of her Dusi preparations.
“In a K1 year it is important to be comfortable in your boat and I haven’t done too much training in my K1, so these races have been important for me. There are so many mixed opinions about what’s going to happen with the rain and the river levels; given the drought, some are obviously saying it will be low but others are saying that we may well have a very full Dusi, so who knows,” says Solms.
Solms, referred to in years gone by as the ‘Dusi Bridesmaid’ after finishing second no fewer than six times in a row between 2009 and 2014, finally shook the unwelcome tag earlier this year when she and Czech Republic’s Anna Adamová clinched the race’s K2 women’s crown in commanding fashion.
The ridding of her Dusi hoodoo and rightful engraving of her name on the winner’s trophy was memorable for Solms and she is now eager to ensure she is as well prepared as possible for February’s assignment in order for her to stake a strong claim for the race’s coveted K1 title.
“As opposed to the K2 race I did with Anna in 2014 where we were within a minute of Robyn (Owen) and Abbey (Ulansky), the last couple of K1 races haven’t actually been all that close. In the past I don’t actually know if I’ve ever been properly prepared for my K1 Dusis and if you’re not 100% prepared then you can’t expect to win. I’ll go in there as prepared as I can be and let’s hope it all comes together.”
