Birkett poised for 10th title at 69th Dusi
The 69th edition of the iconic Dusi Canoe Marathon gets under way shortly after sunrise at Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday, taking the canoeists 120km over three days to Blue Lagoon in Durban, and offering Andy Birkett the opportunity to become only the second paddler in the race’s history to record 10 victories.
With the 2020 edition of the event being staged as a K2 championship race, Birkett has teamed up with Khumbulani Nzimande and they will start as hot favourites for the title, which will be a maiden win in the country’s most famous canoeing race for Nzimande, should they reach the finish line in Durban on Saturday afternoon first.
While the prospect of reaching double figures in the wins statistics does not faze the record-shy Birkett at all, the partnership with youngster Nzimande has served to rekindle the passion for the Dusi in Pietermaritzburg-raised Birkett, who now lives in East London.
He won the 2018 title with another former marathon world champion Hank McGregor, who is not paddling this year.
For Martin Dreyer, a seventime winner of the race who is paddling the race again with his wife Jeannie, Birkett’s record is remarkable for its consistency.
“It is nothing short of incredible that he is poised to win a 10th Dusi at such a young age,” said Dreyer. “There are so many variables, things that can wrong, so many curve balls, that for Birkett to have totally dominated the past decade is remarkable. He is a true Dusi champion, both on and off the water,” he said.
For Nzimande, the chance to tuck in behind Euro Steel team racer Birkett has been careeraltering, and the FNB Change A Life Academy product is ready to convert a series of promising results into a major title.
“Hardly anyone noticed, but Khumbulani [Nzimande] posted the second fastest time on the final stage of the N3TC Drak Challenge,” pointed out Dreyer.
Birkett and Nzimande will be under serious pressure, with a number of pedigree K2 crews easily capable of shading them.
Valley icons Thulani Mbanjwa and Sbonelo Khwela and have combined to form an ominous Dusi combination that will be difficult to beat running the portages.
Starting in C batch the seeded women’s race is equally enthralling. Defending Dusi K1 champion Christie Mackenzie has secured the partnership of potent runner and paddler Cana Peek for her bid at a K2 title.
They will be hounded by Jenna Ward and Kyeta Purchase, while the crew of Olympic medallist Bridgitte Hartley and Tracey Oellermann are also poised for a podium challenge.