Khwela denied Non-Stop Dusi milestone

MSAWENKOSI Mtolo and Thabani Msiya held their nerve to win the 2020 Garden City Commercials Non-Stop Dusi Canoe Marathon on Friday, in the process denying Sbonelo Khwela what would have been his tenth title in the ultra-endurance paddling event.

The battle for ascendancy in the ‘Dusi in a day’ was a ding-dong one throughout with the U23 FNB Change a Life Academy pair Mtolo and Msiya fighting it out with the experienced crew of nine-time champion Sbonelo Khwela and Banetse Nkhoesa.

Racing on full rivers an in near perfect, cool weather conditions, the two crews traded places at the front of the race several times as mishaps befell both crews at key stages of the race.

Through the early stages of the race it seemed that Red Bull/Euro Steel’s Khwela and Nkhoesa had control of proceedings and they were setting the pace on the front of the race.

“We knew they were the crew to beat if we wanted to win this race. When we saw emptying their boat at Hippo Rapid and I said to my partner ‘This is the time to catch them’. They were so strong and they caught us and then ran away from us on the second portage on Inanda dam. We managed to catch them by the start of the Burma Road portage, and when Banetse (Nkhoesa) started cramping, we knew that was our chance to take it,” said Mtolo.

With an exhausted Nkhoesa struggling, Khwela ran their K2 over the brutal portage on his own, and waited patiently for his cramp-wracked partner to rejoin him, as Mtolo and Msiya paddled away their maiden Non-Stop Dusi title.

After a solid string of top five results in the Dusi and Non-Stop Dusi, both acknowledged their win as the high point in their paddling careers, and paid tribute to Martin Dreyer and the FNB Change A Life Academy for the achievement.

Third went to the tenacious U23 crew of Jabulani Gwamanda and Mpilo Zondi, just five minutes behind Khwela and Nkoesa.

In arguably the stand-out result of the day ‘Dusi Duke’ Martin Dreyer and his wife Jeannie Dreyer finished in sixth overall and the first mixed double crew home.

“I have done a few of these and today was special. The conditions made it a lot more enjoyable than it could be. The water was good. The company was good. Out support crew were out of the top drawer,” said Dreyer.

“This was a bucket list event for me,” his wife Jeannie added. “It was just spectacular, from the supporters on the banks, the water, the weather, it was just superb.”

Bruce Brauteseth was the first K1 finisher, ahead of Stuart Roberts, Derek Stutterheim and Ric Whitton.

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