BETHLEHEM – This weekend sees a new crop of slalom canoeists starting a journey that a few young rising stars are hoping will culminate in a chance to show their skills on the Olympic stage.
Led by some dedicated under 23 and junior paddlers with long-term ambitions, Saturday’s South African Slalom Canoeing Championships near Bethlehem is part of a rejuvenation of the Olympic discipline in more ways than one. The 2025 championships return to the calendar after not being held in recent years, while the restoration is being led by mostly U23 and junior paddlers looking to make a name for themselves in the discipline.
Heading the field this weekend is likely to be under 23s Matt van Heerden and Waris Mills, who are tipped to grab the overall men’s and women’s titles respectively.
Following on from January’s championships, both Van Heereden and lifeaving star Mills are already part of the national slalom and cross team selected for the U23 and Junior World Championships in France later this year, and both will be hoping to also be selected for the senior team for the Senior World Championships in Australia.
Probably the biggest challenge to Van Heerden claiming the national title this weekend are two old hands, multiple national champion and current SA slalom committee chairman Don Wewege, and KZN committee chairman Iain Rennie, who will both be taking time off from administering to compete.
Mills’ biggest challenge for the women’s title will probably come from U18 schoolgirl Hannah Trower.
The revival of slalom canoeing follows the emergence of Kayak Cross, a dynamic version of head-to-head slalom racing that made a popular debut at the Olympics last year. Cross is catching on in South Africa, with a big entry at the inaugural South African Cross Championships in Underberg in January.
