SA paddlers star in Europe
17 September 2007
Lost in the excitement of the T20 World Championships in South Africa and the Rugby World Cup in France have been a couple of huge successes for South African canoeists in international competition.
Durban star Barry Lewin scooped his first major international title by winning the Liffey Descent in Ireland on 8 September, which added lustre to a red-letter day for South African paddling after Grant Van Der Walt won the junior world marathon championships title in Hungary.
Facing a very strong field, Lewin started the race well, racing on the annual controlled flooding of the Liffey Valley. He had opened a small lead by the time the front boats reached the first weir, one-kilometre into the 26km race.
'A great line'
"I hit a great
line through the weir, which gave me a small lead," said a delighted Lewin afterwards.
"I always take doors when they open like that! Seeing the gap, I put my head down and went for it."
Over the middle 10 kilometres of the race, which includes most of the eleven large weirs on the course, Lewin’s break produced a two-and-a-half minute lead, as the paddlers approached a portage around a dam wall.
"That was the first chance I really had to see how far ahead I was," said Lewin.
'A danger'
"The next paddler was in sight, sitting on a doubles wave that had taken a swim at the first weir. This was a danger as I as on my own and had no help from any boats around me."
Despite running the portage hard, the chasing bunch closed the gap, and helped Graham O'Reilly to catch up to Lewin, leaving the race for the singles title wide open. The South African saw the final weir of the race as his best chance for victory.
"I had to
dig deep near the end. O’Reilly and the doubles were right behind me, so I made sure I got to the last weir first, and shot it safely," Lewin said.
His tactic paid off, and he was able to sprint the last few hundred metres to the line to take the singles title on his debut.
'Overwhelming relief'
"The first feeling was one of overwhelming relief that I had managed to hold out, then the excitement kicked in," reckoned Lewin.
"It sank in that I had won the famous Liffey Descent on my first outing. Wahooooo!"
The leaderboard showed good results from a number of other South African paddlers. Joe Kearney finished tenth in the singles race, while Jaysen Golding and Kenny Collins finished third in a highly-competitive doubles race.
Herman Chalupsky and Dave Reece teamed up with Dublin local Steve Frose to paddle the only K3 in the race, and enjoyed a trouble-free social outing.
Source: Canoeing South Africa
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