The Olympic stars shone brightly at the South African Sprint Championships at Roodeplaat Dam on April 4-6, but there were a couple of others that stole some of the limelight in three days of intense flatwater racing.
As expected, KZN’s Hamish Lovemore and Gauteng’s Esti Olivier duly collected the gold medals in almost all the events they raced, and then teamed up with their Olympic partners for some added bling in their K2 events, but young World Surfski Champion Kira Bester also returned to Cape Town with some extra gold for her bulging trophy cabinet.
Lovemore was a comfortable winner in both the men’s 500m and 1 000m K1 races and added the men’s 5 000m K1 to his weekend tally to show he is in a class of his own this country, and then together with his K2 partner, Eastern Cape’s Andy Birkett, won the 500m K2 race.
The other men’s events saw Henry van der Walt grab the 200m title and then join up with David Gerber to claim gold in the corresponding K2 race, while Clint Cook and Jeremey Maher won the 1 000m K2. Cook’s partner in the remaining K2 events, Uli Hart, enjoyed a “close but no cigar” weekend with four silvers and two bronze medals from his heavy schedule of events.
In the women’s races, Olivier proved she is the country’s top female sprinter as she beat her Olympic K2 partner, Tiffany Koch, into second in both the 200m and 500m K1 races, before the pair joined up to claim the 200m K2 title.
Meanwhile Bester made full use of Olivier’s planned racing schedule, to claim victory in every other event. The talented ocean racing specialist won the 1 000m and 5 000m K1 races, and teamed up with fellow surfski star, East London’s Jade Wilson to win the 500m and 1 000m K2 events.
Men's Results
K1
K2
Women's Results
K1
K2
