Outstanding performances by SA paddlers

SOUTH African paddling enjoyed one of its most successful years to date with stunning performances throughout the various disciplines in 2013.

Arguably the defining moment of the year was the staging of the inaugural ICF Surfski World Championships in Portugal in July. The first-ever Protea Ocean Paddling team was chosen after the national titles in East London.

More than 400 paddlers from 30 countries lined up for the historic moment. Capetonian Sean Rice did us proud by holding off two charg- ing Aussies to bring the first title back to South African shores.

“When I looked over the support boat and a South African lady (who I didn’t know at the time) looked at me and put a huge South African flag over the bow of the boat, that is when I sort of knew that I had the title in the bag, and so I thought that if the media boat had the confidence then I was ok so I just enjoyed the last kilometre or so,” Rice said.

Michelle Eray had a great paddle and made the most of teammate Michelle Burns’s navigational blunder to win the women’s title.

Burn, who had dominated the entire race, headed straight for the rocky point near the finish instead of the turn marker out at sea.

“When you win a race you want to win it in the most streamlined way possible, either from the front or catching the others from the back, so to have the opportunity for a first place right in front of me – I obviously took it with both hands,” Eray said.

Hank McGregor continued to grow his legacy by claiming his third World Marathon title in Denmark with a display of controlled dominance against a stellar field.

Stu Hogg, who suffered debilitating injuries in a car crash in 2008 and, having led the way for South Africa’s Paracanoeists at the 2012 Paracanoe World Championships, continued his remarkable and inspirational efforts.

With the assistance of his fellow paddlers and an unwavering determination, he completed the Hansa Fish for the first time. That feat, together with his other courageous paddles, makes Hogg our paddling superhero for 2013.

A new year brings with it a clean canvas to explore and pursue new goals in our lives. Water is life; the human body is almost totally made up of the stuff. So if you do one thing this year, strive to spend as much time as possible in it.