Young canoeists excel at Watuni Vaal

Florida Lake Canoe Club’s Tristan Trican earned a bronze medal in the U/16 category when he participated in the Gauteng Canoe Union (GCU) school league races.

The event was held at Watuni, on the Vaal River near Vanderbijlpark.

The age group where Tristan completed nearly 10km on the race gave him 19 points to add to the school league log for Seekers Christian School in Florida.

“Races are monthly events where points are awarded to all finishers on a sliding scale similar to that of the Motor Grand Prix. The points accumulate throughout the year so that consistency and regular participation is rewarded, not just the top three podium finishes in each age group,” said GCU spokesperson Jennie Dallas.

The races are age appropriate distances in the marathon season of the winter months.

The U/8 complete 3km while U/10 and U/12 complete 6km. The level of difficulty and distance increases with age.

The U/14 and U/16 finished 9.5km. The 18-year-old athletes complete 12 km.

“A number of the club’s young paddlers who train regularly at the local Florida lake in the community development program earned points in their races such as Ameerah Hank in the U/10 category, Sisanda Mathebela in the U/12 category, Matthew van der Merwe and Moses Nghomane in the U16 and U/18 categories respectively,” said Dallas.

Want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us an SMS/ WhatsApp message with your name and cellphone number to 079 414 6709. 

Familiarise yourself with our WhatsApp service disclaimer.

Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.

For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites Randfontein Herald, Krugersdorp News and Get It Joburg West Magazine

Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!