Olympic rowers set oars for glory at 136th Buffalo Regatta
In preparation for the upcoming Paris Olympics in July, and the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta happening in Lucerne, Switzerland, in May, representatives from the SA rowing team are gearing up to participate in the much-anticipated 136th edition of the RMB Buffalo Regatta in East London from Thursday to Saturday.
The national team representatives will form part of the national Rowing Squad at the Buffalo River.
The team comprises seasoned men’s sculler Murray Bales-smith, who will vie for the men’s silver sculls title.
Dynamic young Braden Howard will join forces with fellow national squad rowers Bales-smith, Matt Ward and Phume Tshabalala to form a formidable men’s coxless four, competing in the Grand Challenge event, considered one of the pinnacle events on the rowing calendar.
Howard will also team up with fellow St Alban’s College alumnus Ward in the men’s double sculls, with ambitions to build a boat for the U23 World Championships, set to take place in St Catherine’s, Canada, later in 2024.
RMB national squad head coach Tiago Loureiro said: “Following his recent recovery from an attack during a training ride in Pretoria, Murray is back and ready to compete.
“His past achievements include finishing 11th in the world at the 2023 lightweight single scull event in Serbia, making him a favourite for the prestigious silver sculls.
“The RMB national squad have a number of students and U23 prospective athletes representing their universities and we look forward to seeing them battling it out against competing crews.
“This year’s Buffalo Regatta is an extra special one considering the devastating flooding that happened since the last event.
“The fact that members of the community have come together to pull off this event is remarkable, a true testament to the resilience and passion of everyone involved in the organisation of the event.”
The Buffalo Regatta, a fixture since 1881, is one of SA’S premier national sporting events, held annually on the Buffalo River by the East London Boating Association (ELBA).
This regatta has long been the highlight of the South African rowing calendar due to two coveted trophies at stake — the Buffalo Grand Challenge, for senior A coxless fours, and the silver sculls, for senior A single sculls.
These trophies, made from pure silver, are historically significant and regarded as the most valuable sports trophies in Southern Africa.
In 2023, the silver sculls for senior men’s single sculls race was won by Tuks’ Jake Green, who produced a masterful performance to cruise home comfortably.
Two-time SA rowing Olympian Green crossed the line in a time of seven minutes and 56 seconds ahead of the University of Johannesburg’s Bales-smith who finished in eight minutes.
In the Grand Challenge for senior men’s coxless fours, the Tuks team of Green, Baxter, John Smith and Thabelo Masutha won the challenge with a time of 6:38:70.
Tuks also claimed first, second and third in the women’s senior sculling side.
The race was won by Kathereine Williams (8:33:90), who edged Paige Badenhorst by 3.9 seconds while Courtney Westley (8:44:40) took third.
The senior women’s coxless fours was won by the Tuks crew of Badenhorst, Westley, Jade Alves and Brigette Kappler (8:39:35).
Having grown into one of the largest rowing regattas in the country, the Buffalo Regatta attracts nearly 750 competitors participating in more than 200 events over three days.
This year, the race welcomes the German Rowing Team from Lower Saxony.
ELBA president and regatta convenor Graeme Mountfort said: “As rowing continues to grow in East London, and the Eastern Cape, we are encouraged with the developments being made at the Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu universities as their oarsmen and women continue to improve from season to season.
“We also welcome a contingent of athletes from Lower Saxony, Germany, and we trust that the relationship with Lower Saxony will go from strength to strength.”
The Selborne Sprints Regatta, a separate event pioneered specifically for school rowing, will be held on Friday.
The finals of the event will be held on Saturday.