Ocean racing world champs prize money doubled

DURBAN – As the countdown continues to the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in Durban on October 17-19, there was good news for the top contenders this week with the announcement that the prize-money for the event has been doubled.

Earlier this year the organising committee set aside R100 000 from the event budget for the top championship categories. Thanks to some generous sponsors and budget savings, Race Director Colin Simpkins and his committee was able to doubled that figure to R200 000.

The men’s and women’s winners in the singles races will now be earning R26 000 each. The top male and female U23 and junior paddlers will get R5 000 each. The winning mixed doubles will enjoy a R7 000 boost to their bank balance with the U23s and junior boats taking home R2 000.

“We are delighted to be able to make the decision today to double the prize money awarded to all the World Championships categories,” said Simpkins. “At virtually the same time we were making the call to double the prize money, the entries for the singles event reached 500 boats so we are looking at a bumper championship event.

“We will have just about every top surfski paddler coming from all over the world and I believe this year’s World Championships will have the strongest field ever, which is fitting because it is being held at the home of surfski racing – where the first ever surfski race was held way back in 1957.”

Both the men’s and women’s defending champions, Germany’s Gordan Harbrecht and South Africa’s Kira Bester, have entered the singles event.

The men expected to lead the charge against Harbrecht’s defence of his world title include Australian three-time champion Cory Hill, South Africa’s most successful paddler Hank McGregor, and other ocean racing former champions Kenny Rice and Nicolas Notten from South Africa.

Bester will have to see off a potent challenge from a strong South African contingent led by former world champion Michelle Burn, while New Zealand’s Dani Richards is predicted to be a good bet to regain the crown she won in 2019.

In the mixed doubles event, South Africans Uli Hart and Georgia Singe will be defending their title with the entry list showing the strongest challenge possibly coming from compatriots Josh Fenn and Jade Wilson or Matt Fenn and Saskia Hockly, while Hank and Pippa McGregor could provide a husband-and-wife victory. However, all the mixed combinations have not yet been finalised and there are sure to be some other potent crews hoping to claim the prize money.

The three days of racing will be based around the Durban Undersea Club at the Point Water Sports Club during a race window on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 17-19. The singles racing will be held on the day with the best predicted weather conditions, with the mixed doubles events fitted in around that.

The long-range weather forecasts are predicting good conditions for downwind racing on all three days, but Simpkins cautioned that it was too early to say what events would be on what day because weather predictions could still change.