McGregor’s endeavour earns him world award
WHILE the canoeing community celebrates Hank McGregor, pictured, winning the Athlete of the Year at the inaugural World Paddle Awards in Germany at the weekend, officials are hoping this will be the start of a golden period for the sport in South Africa with the eyes of the paddling world shifting to this country as hosts of the 2017 marathon World Championships.
McGregor beat off Frenchman slalom icon Fabien Lefevre and German Olympic C1 paddler Sebastian Brendel to claim the coveted award, which was presented to him at a glittering ceremony in the Goldener Saal in Augsburg on Saturday night.
McGregor is a five-time marathon World Champion, and became the first South African to win the K1 and K2 title at the same World Championships in 2014 in Oklahoma City in the United States.
His stellar career includes wins at the tough Molokai Challenge surfski race and numerous domestic river marathon titles in South Africa.
He became the first athlete to win national singles and doubles title in river marathon, flatwater marathon and surfski in the same calendar year.
“This award is really special to me as many sportsmen know that hard training and dedication sometimes goes by unnoticed,” said a delighted McGregor.
“This award has made all the difference.” Local organisers of the sport have heralded the award as the start of a golden era for paddling in South Africa as the nation prepares to host the marathon World Cup and African Championships in 2016 and the marathon World Championships in 2017.
“Hank McGregor has single-handedly reinvigorated the interest in flatwater marathon racing in South Africa,” said Canoeing SA’s Marathon Committee chairperson Brett Austin Smith.
“In a country obsessed with river racing, his consistent achievements at a flat-water world marathon championships level has sparked a resurgence of interest in this discipline across the country, which in turn has helped to lay the foundation for the successful bid to bring the marathon World Championships to Camps Drift,” he added.