Dabulamanzi Canoe Club’s paddler of the year

Dabulamanzi Canoe Club paddler was recently awarded Gauteng Male Paddler of the year 2022.

The canoeist, Wayne Jacobs was awarded this accolade as well numerous other awards such as the Gauteng Canoe Union Colours, and International Canoe Federation Colours after a successful and eventful couple of years of success and a variety of paddling achievements.

Jacobs participated in a series of successful events, which started with the Dusi River Race in 2021 while sponsored by Euro Steel. He took part in the event with a Euro Steel teammate from Spain, Kiko Vega, where they finished the 120km three-day endurance river race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, and finished 16th overall, winning the Veteran’s category.

This is described as the world’s toughest endurance river marathon with the distance and intensity of the portages, (running while carrying your boat up the hills of the valley of 1 000 hills between Durban and Pietermaritzburg) was a huge challenge for Kiko. They quickly found themselves slipping from 3rd to 22nd on the first day but they managed. They made up places on the paddling sections as these were where Kiko was far more comfortable, coming from a strong paddling background.

Shortly after Dusi, Jacobs took part in the Umkomaas Canoe Marathon with close friend and Euro Steel teammate, Hank McGregor. McGregor is a top South African paddler, and the marathon is a full, exciting, wild water race and managed to secure our third win in this event, in a row.

Next was the Prescient Freedom Paddle in Cape Town, which is a 27km race from the Waterfront, around Robben Island, and back, which took place on Freedom Day, last year. This race doubles as the South African National Surfski Championships and Jacobs teamed up with a young paddler from Cape Town, Daniel Jacobs (no relation) where they managed to finish sixth against the best surfski paddlers in the world.

Having gone on to win numerous other flat water marathon races, as well as extremely difficult river races, Jacobs was awarded Gauteng Colours, International Canoe Federation Colours and winning the Gauteng Paddler of the Year Award – which “Was a real honour and great reward for all the hard work put in during the year,” said Jacobs.

Jacobs is extremely grateful to his family for their support of his sporting achievements which took him away from the famicarnoely so frequently.

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