Tight race expected in U23s
THE FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon is set to dish up a number of mouth-watering showdowns, none more exciting than the contest for the Under-23 men’s crown from February 15-17.
The prestigious age-group title is one that many have strived to hold, but the calibre and competitiveness of paddler in the Under-23 age category make the racing that much harder, with a number of crews eyeing strong overall race finishes.
As the generations change and the faces shift into the senior age category, the Under-23 age group provides a number of paddlers with their last shot at age group glory before they fight it out with the best elite paddlers in the business.
One of the pairs that will be searching for glory in the Under-23 race will be the impressive duo of Stewart Little and Khumbulani Nzimande.
The pair were the highest placed Under-23 crew at the recent 50 Miler Canoe Marathon, a race that provides a strong gauge as to who the Dusi contenders will be.
“It’s been quite difficult for us to train together in the build-up to the Dusi,” Varsity College student Little said.
“With me in Underberg and Khumbulani at Nagle Dam, we have had very few chances to train together but this past weekend we put in three really good sessions.
“We thought about not racing the Campbell’s Farm to Dusi Bridge race, but we raced because it was good tripping for us.”
The duo understand that they are going to be up against some tough crews for the title, but Little feels they need to rather focus on their own strengths.
“We need to race practically and we both know that we are better in the latter stages of the race so we don’t want to go out too quickly.
“Our transitions between paddling and running are good and we gel really well in the boat with me steering and Khumbulani providing all the power.”
Arguably the Under-23 favourites, the cousin duo of Mthobisi Cele and Mpilo Zondi have been building well towards the Dusi, despite a glitch at the recent Campbell’s to Dusi Bridge race.
“We are on track with our preparation and we have been training really hard for the Dusi,” Cele said.
“Last weekend’s race didn’t go as well as we would have liked and we made a few mistakes that cost us a bit. It was still a good bit of practice for us and has told us that we still have work to do.”
The pair waltzed to the 2017 Non-Stop Dusi title in trying conditions, but they will not be relying on that win as their source of confidence.
“That Non-Stop win was very different. The conditions were different and there is a lot more paddling involved in the Dusi, so we are looking forward to the challenge of the Dusi.”
Meanwhile, this year’s N3TC Drak Challenge winner Jenna Ward has had to mix and match her K2 partners recently while she awaits the arrival of her Dusi partner, Hungarian marathon ace Vanda Kiszli.
Ward’s build-up to the big race has been solid, but she and Kiszli will only be able to get into a boat together this weekend when the current women’s marathon K1 silver medallist arrives in the country.
Paddling together in a K2 will not be foreign for the pair who finished fourth overall at the 2016 Dusi.
“Vanda is only arriving at the beginning of February because she has a number of other paddling and training commitments in Hungary,” Ward said.
“She has also paddled the Dusi before so she knows what to expect, which means I am not worried that we won’t have that much time together in the boat beforehand.” – Gameplan Media