Young paddlers kick off their race season

The Gauteng Canoe Union School League sprang into action with the first race of the 2020 race year taking place at Florida Lake last Sunday.

Germiston’s Helen Jansen Van Vuuren was the first female u-16 finisher in a time of 19 minutes and 36 seconds for the two laps of the lake, which kicked off the fast sprint training season for 2020.

Nkosinyathi Mtombela, also from Germiston, finished the u-18 male race in 19 minutes and two seconds.

Young Thulani Mdlalose finished the “guppy” race for u-10s in 29 minutes.

The league provides an opportunity for school participation for children, from u-8 to 18 years old, with regular canoe races throughout the year including the Gauteng Championships and SA Championships.

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Points to be earned towards junior sports colours.

The race distances vary depending on the age groups and whether they are sprint or marathon events.

All participants receive points for all races completed on a sliding scale, which accumulate to be credited at the annual year-end prize-giving hosted by Gauteng Canoe Union.

Accumulated points are credited to the school represented by all paddlers registered at the school, as well as to the club providing the training/coaching, and to the individual who is also recognised.

The Gauteng Sprint Championships are set to take place at Germiston Lake on February 16 to select the team to represent Gauteng at the SA Sprint Championships later in the year.

The juniors are also training for the annual South African Inter-Provincial Inter-School Kayak Sprint Championships event which takes place in April this year.

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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za.

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