In Photos: Team SA end Marathon Champs on a high
The event has been a successful one for the large South African team contesting the event winning four medals to go with the haul of 24 medals from the Masters Cup races.
ANDY Birkett and Hank McGregor powered to to the Men’s K2 world title in the final event of the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Prado Vila Verde in Portugal on Sunday.
South Africa was named as the winner in the overall team kayak rankings at the end of the four days of competition.
The Durban-based duo of McGregor and Birkett were always in control of the fast paced, eight lap, 30km race on the Cavada River and led the seven boat front bunch into the last portage, and throttled away on the final 1000 metre lap to claim the gold medal, holding off Hungarians Adrián Boros and László Solti.
In the women’s K2 race the South African crew of Hayley Nixon and Christie Mackenzie fought gallantly for the minor places on the podium after the race for the 2018 world title was settled.
Their race came down to a sprint to the line with the Spanish crew of Tania Alvarez and Tania Fernandez, which they lost in the dying seconds of the race, leaving them in fourth place.
The other South African crew of Bridgitte Hartley and Melissa Van Rooyen finished in tenth position.
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