St David’s Marist Inanda School came out tops at the SA Schools Sprint Championships event from 24 to 27 April.
The event, which took place at the Shongweni Dam in KwaZulu-Natal, attracted competitors from 94 schools from across the country.
This was the largest number of competitors since 2016.
The paddlers from both the prep and high schools accumulated enough points between them to take the top rankings in both the primary and high school categories.
Gauteng Canoe Union Schools League Race convener Jodi Dreyer said, “This is the fruit of years of training from the boys at St David’s Marist. Many of them have been paddling since Grade 1 and nearly all the high school boys medalled at this event. This is the result of dedication and persistence.”
This was the 26th year that the event took place, with many eager to participate in a live event following a year of virtual events in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jennie Dallas of the Gauteng Canoe Union explained, “With most of the age groups having to hold heats and semi-finals before competing in the finals, there was an abundance of exceptionally close and exciting racing.”
The event also doubled as the selection event for the junior and U23 World Championships as well as the Olympic Hopes regatta. The teams will be announced in the next few weeks.
Race distances included 200m, 500m, 1 000m and longer distances of 2 000m for U12s and 5 000m for older competitors in the K1 and K2 category.
The prep school was represented by Joshua Friederickson, Joshua Powell, Riccardo Puzone, Rupert Schonborn, Andrew Macnair, Christian Friederickson, Luke Wilson, Matthew Wilson, Jess Weber and Matthew Charter.
High school representatives from St David’s Marist Inanda included Luke Salmon, Theo Dreyer, Nicholas Erwee, Jordan Klopper, Tome Dos Santos and Matthew Maccelari.
Each boy earned valuable points for their school team and individual rankings.
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/276452/nothing-can-stop-this-st-davids-paddler/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/283116/local-canoeist-raises-funds/
