The 2014 Canoe Marathon season begins with the feeling of being at the start of a new era. After a few years of establishing and consolidating a fixed format for international competitions, standardising distances, laps, and portage rules, 2014 will see a new step forward with the World Champs to be held in the USA after 14 years without visiting the American continent. On top of this, the world will be waiting to see the new format introduced at the World Cup.
Dusi Queen Abbey Ulansky clinched a record ninth career victory on Saturday when she and her partner, fast emerging Dusi Princess Robyn Kime, held off a valiant effort from Abby Adie and Anna Adamová to clinch a hard-fought victory in the women’s race of the 2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon.
The final curtain came down on the 2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon amidst a frenzy of celebrations after Andy Birkett and Sbonelo Zondi were the first to the finish line at Blue Lagoon in Durban in front of thousands of supporters, friends and family to round out a near perfect performance by the pair over the three exhausting days of racing in the Msundusi and Mngeni River valleys.
2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon overnight women’s race leaders Robyn Kime and Dusi Queen Abbey Ulansky managed to stretch their already slender lead ever so slightly on Friday’s second stage from Dusi Bridge to Inanda Dam however just ninety seconds now separates them from their chasers and the tight affair promises to produce a fascinating final day’s contest on Saturday.
Friday’s second stage of the 2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon quickly became the Birkett/Zondi show as the overnight leaders piled the pressure onto their chasers, increasing their overnight five and a half minute lead to a mammoth nine minutes and now have one hand firmly on the coveted Player Family winner’s trophy.
The women’s opening encounter of the 2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon was a hard-fought affair which sees Robyn Kime and Abbey Ulansky a mere twenty nine seconds ahead of Abby Adie and Czech Republic’s Anna Adamová going into Friday’s second stage.
The opening stage of the 2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon from Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg to Dusi Bridge in the uMsundusi Valley was one of high drama and great movement as the title hopeful men’s crews looked to overcome the scorching heat of the runner-favoured leg with Andy Birkett and Sbonelo Zondi claiming a substantial five minute thirty three second lead going into Friday’s second stage.
He passes for any hip 25 year old Pietermaritzburg man, but for Sam Phungula his chance encounter with canoeing after leaving school has changed his life, and he has a passion to share his enthusiasm for paddling with as many of his peers as possible.
If days 3 and 4 represented a turn around in the K2 standings at the Río Negro Regatta, no less surprising were the last two stages finishing in Viedma, the final destination of the great Argentinian race. On the final day the very young Franco Balboa and José Luis Guerrero claimed the overall victory, inheriting the throne left by Pinta and Mozzicafredo, twelve-time kings of the regatta.
Pietermaritzburg – The emergence of a number of classy female paddlers has boldly broadened the elite women’s field for this year’s Dusi Canoe Marathon which gets underway at Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday 13 February.
The last two days - the third and fourth stages of the Río Negro Regatta were held in Argentina from Choele Choel to Luis Beltran (38 km) and Don Andrés to General Conesa (43 km). There has been a very big change in the K2 races due to the incidents in the front bunch on the first two stages.
M. DAWSON
J. CLARKE
M. SMOLEN
E. FER
C. KUHNLE
M. CHOURRAUT
M. BENUS
F. ANTON
L. BOZIC
K. HOSKOVA
J. FOX
BREZINSKI/BREZINSKI
A. PETERS
V. KHUDZENKA
E. MEDVECKZKY
GRIJIC/NOVAKOVIC
L. QIANG
M. DE JONGE
R. POULSEN
A. CHERVOVA
S. TARNOVSCHI
J. MOCKE
E. LEVEMYR
S. RAFAEL
H. TAKAKU
M. GRAZIANI
J. EGAN
N. LJUBEK
MINDE/HAMAR
PINTA/MOZZICAFI
S. LAMMLER
A. BUSLAIEVA
M. WEGMAN
S. REINOSO
