Canoeists battle for the Gauteng Canoe Marathon Championships
"We worked hard on lap two, and by the end of the lap, we came into the first portage, and Brad sipped on the way out of his boat."
Top Gauteng paddler Wayne Jacobs lauded the up-and-coming canoeists, saying the sport in the country was in a good place.
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“Canoeing is in a good place. We’ve just had the National Sprint Championships at Victoria Lake in Germiston.
The development is phenomenal, and the guys coming through are doing well.
“Canoeing South Africa has put a lot of time and effort into it. I’m seeing a lot of young, black guys coming through and doing well,” he said.
The Dabulaminzi Canoe Club member took the men’s 21km K1 spoils at the Gauteng Canoe Marathon Championships at Homestead on June 3 and 4.
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Jacobs won the race by miles after taking advantage early on when his closest challenger slipped on their way into the first portage.
“I was in a bunch of five or six at the start. At the end of lap one, Brad Boulle put in a large interval, and it got down to the two of us.
We worked hard on lap two, and by the end of the lap, we came into the first portage, and Brad sipped on the way out of his boat.
“I ran quite hard and got in again. By the time I paddled off, I couldn’t see Brad. I could only see Sam Butcher and Matthew Millward and decided to put my head down and go the rest of the way on my own,” said Jacobs.
The 43-year-old said that at the start of the race, he didn’t know he would win by quite a large margin because of the talented competitors at the starting point.
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“I anticipated quite a good bunch race. I was surprised it got to two early on, and then it was unfortunate Brad had an accident and couldn’t continue. Otherwise, I’m sure he would have given me a good race today.”
Jacobs has been canoeing for 26 years and is near the end of his competitive career. He tipped Millward, Boulle and Butcher to take the sport forward.
“There’s a group of talented young paddlers like Sam Boulle and Matt Butcher.
“The sport in SA is in a good place. I’m sure there’s a long line of guys waiting to take over from me,” Jacobs said.
Butcher grabbed the second spot and Millward rounded off the podium.
Alison Hay won the women’s 21km. Karen Field was second, and Gabriella van Rooyen was third.
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Jacobs and his partner, Boulle, also won the men’s K2 half-marathon on June 4.
The full competition results with all categories are available on www.gcu.co.za
