Dusi dream fulfilled for winning combinations
With varying degrees of advantage going into Saturday’s final stage, it was overnight leaders Andy Birkett and Dave Evans and Abby Solms and Bianca Haw that glided into Blue Lagoon as your 2022 MyLife Dusi Canoe Marathon men’s and women’s champions.
For Euro Steel’s Birkett and Evans a buffer of over three minutes was more than enough as they put in another flawless display of river paddling to finish eight and a half minutes ahead of the Team MyLife pair of Thulani Mbanjwa and Msawenkosi Mtolo in second.
It was a ninth title in a row, a twelfth overall for Birkett and first for Evans, who chalked the last three days down to one of the biggest learning curves of his young paddling career.
Birkett has now won the Dusi title with six different K2 partners and for the laid-back star from East London it’s all about building a relationship.
Adding another podium finish to his list of Dusi achievements was the ever-green Team MyLife star Thulani Mbanjwa. He and partner Msawenkosi Mtolo came home in second after leading after the first stage.
It was a tough three days of racing and that elusive win evaded Mbanjwa again, however to finish on the podium was an achievement he is proud of.
For another young paddler paddling with one of the race’s legends Mtolo understood that it isn't an experience that comes around often and he took full advantage of it.
It was the Euro Steel pair of Nqobile Makhanya and Sbonelo Khwela who finished third in the men’s race as they managed to hold off the charge from Hank McGregor and Matthew Millward.
The result for Khwela continued a run of eleven podium finishes in the last fourteen editions of the MyLife Dusi.
The women’s race had the potential to also turn into a tight contest; however Team MyLife’s Abby Solms and Bianca Haw didn’t put a foot wrong on the third and final stage to paddle home to ten minute victory on Saturday.
With a six minute buffer going into the final stage, the pair was concerned that they could lose that advantage to the chasing Jordan Peek and Christie Mackenzie and made sure that they didn’t give the chasing pair a chance over the 36 kilometres into Blue Lagoon.
It was the Team MyLife pair of Bridgitte Hartley and Pippa McGregor who put in another solid performance on the third stage to take home third and the final spot on the podium.
In the age group contests it was Ross Leslie and Hamish Mackenzie who won the men’s Under 23 category while Cara Waud and Tracey Oellermann were the fastest Under 23 women’s crew.
Jack Shooter and Josh
Simpkins won the Junior men’s race while Jessica Behn and Jenna Goddard were the quickest Junior women’s crew and finished as the second fastest Under 23 crew in the women’s division.
In one of the results of the race the K3 crew of Alex Roberts, Michael-John Robb and Ryan Rodda obliterated the current K3 record to finish in nine hours and 45 minutes. They beat the previous record, set in 2013, by over 30 minutes.*