Stott, Dreyer rule Dusi 2004
26 January 2004
Ant Stott and Martin Dreyer capped a superlative three day running and canoeing exhibition by lifting the 2004 Hansa Powerade Dusi trophy. The pair posted the fastest time over the final stage to complete their victory over second-placed Deon and Sven Bruss by the massive margin of 22 minutes.
Dreyer, who has now won five of the last six Dusis, and Stott were exhilarated at the win, and surprised by the margin of their victory. "We were hoping to be on the second wave at the end of the first day, and were ready to scrap it out with the leaders after that", said Stott.
Starting with a seventeen-and-a-half minute lead, Stott and Dreyer opted for the slower but safer run over Burma Road, but still managed to extend their overall lead by five minutes over the Bruss brothers, who were always going to paddle around Burma Road.
Close for third
The race for third was also decided by Burma Road. Len Jenkins and
Jacques Theron opted to stay in the river, and shook off Wayne Volek and Warren Price. However, plucky Johannesburg youngsters Michael Mbanjwa and Michael Stewart ran the Burma Road portage fast enough to stay with Jenkins and Theron, only to lose the sprint for the last place on the podium by a second-and-a-half.
Alexa Lombard and Donia Kamstra took the ladies' honours by four-and-a-half minutes from Abbey Miedema and Jeanette Walder, after starting the day with a 24-second lead. Miedema and Walder tried to make up ground by running the Burma Road portage, while Lombard and Kamstra paddled around. Lombard and Kamstra notched up the second fastest time ever for the final stage en route to the finish at Blue Lagoon.
The ladies race has been the centre of extensive debate, after Lombard and Kamstra turned a two-minute deficit into a 24-second lead by riding the slip of a co-operative men's K2 on Inanda Dam at the end of the second stage. This resulted in a protest from
Walder and Miedema, which was later withdrawn, as the jilted crew decided to let their paddling deal with the incident.
Michaelhouse schoolboys David Chaplin and Matthew Worrall took the juniors title from Maritzburg College's Grant Adie and another Michaelhouse scholar, Stuart Jardine.
Casualties
The race was held in cool weather conditions on a medium level river throughout, and resulted in a number of casualties. Several craft were destroyed in the tricky rapids, while some athletes had to be airlifted to hospital to receive treatment for their injuries.
On the final stage into Durban, medics had to be flown to the riverbank to treat a broken ankle, after a paddler slipped on the muddy put-in at the end of the portage around the hyacinth block opposite the Papwa Sewgolam golf course.
Results – Hansa Powerade Dusi Canoe Marathon
1. Ant Stott/Martin Dreyer 7:45.50
2. Deon Bruss/ Sven Bruss
8:08.01
3. Jacques Theron/Len Jenkins 8:15.05
4. Michael Stewart/Michael Mbanjwa 8:15.07
5. Wayne Volek/Warren Price 8:15.37
6. Graham Bird/Stu Rawlinson 8:18.05
7. Shaun Biggs/Jonathan Biggs 8:22.36
8. Hank McGregor/Brett Irvine 8:25.01
9. Zoog Haynes/Jason Golding 8:25.44
10. Piers Cruikshanks/Russell Willis 8:27.08
11. Craig Turton/Loveday Zondi 8:36.24 1st U21
15. Glen Hilliar/Gary Waud 8:47.59 1st Vets
28. Kevin White/Jabu Leslie 9:04.08 1st Sub Vets
29. David Chaplin/Matthew Worrall 9:05.02 1st Juniors
51. Alexa Lombard/Donia Kamstra 9:27.52 1st Women
52. Phillip van Niekerk/Nigel Briggs 9:30.04 1st Masters
54. Jeanette Walder/Abbey Miedema 9:32.23 2nd Women
83. Laura Thomson/Kate March 9:58.53 3rd Women
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