12 June 2006

Alexa Lombard stretched her stranglehold on the women's K2 marathon canoeing title to seven successive years on Sunday, while Shaun Rubenstein secured a hat trick of men's K2 titles to go with the treble in the K1 race that he bagged on Saturday at the SA National Canoe Marathon Championships.

Racing in ideal hot calm conditions on the Umtamvuna River near Port Edward on the lower KZN South Coast, the K2 races provided plenty of action and tactical drama, particularly in the women's race.

Lombard's gamble to opt to paddle with Durban dynamo Jenna Worlock paid handsome dividends as they romped to a two-minute victory over the Gauteng duo of Jen Hodson and Carol Joyce in a race of unusual tactics and decisions.

'I couldn't believe it'
"I couldn't believe it," said Lombard afterwards. "Jen and Carol set off at a furious pace, which suited us down to the ground. I thought they were going to try and just stay with us, and try to drop us in the endsprint, which is where they are really strong. But they played right into our hands."

After a blisteringly fast first lap, the crucial move came on the second lap, when Joyce and Hodson tried a risky manoeuvre to get onto the left wave of the Lombard and Worlock, and ended up ramping over the tail of their kayak, and losing pace and direction.

That was the chance that Lombard and Worlock needed, and they broke away to establish the lead that eventually won them the national title.

Massive achievement
The title is a massive achievement for Worlock, who despite her reputation as a supremely fit athlete and a class ski paddler, is a relative greenhorn at marathon and sprint racing.

"Jenna was brilliant," said Lombard. "She showed that she can really push herself, which really suited me. She gave me one-hundred percent when we needed it and I really enjoyed racing with her," she added.

Rubenstein and Shaun Biggs were emphatic winners in the men's K2 race, and retained the title that they won last year on the Keurbooms River outside Plettenberg Bay.

They were part of a three-boat breakaway on the first lap that included Ant Stott and Matt Bouman, and Michael Mbanjwa and Hein van Rooyen, before Rubenstein and Biggs got a short lead after the first portage.

'I didn't know what to do'
"I didn't know what to do," admitted Rubenstein afterwards. "We didn't know whether to try and grind away or just to wait for them to catch up so that we could work together. Eventually Shaun and I decided to set off in a comfortable rhythm and see what happened."

Biggs and Rubenstein gradually pulled away from the other crews as the race settled into a solitary procession, as a result of the competitive first lap. The challenge from the fancied KZN crew of Hank McGregor and Len Jenkins did not materialize as they withdrew after a lap after failing to stay with the front bunches.

Brent Chiazzari and Cam Schoeman took the junior title from Adrian Gebers and Stephen Bird, while Richmond-based Vicky Chiazzari and Pietermaritzburg’s Kelly Howe took the junior girls’ title.

'Mission accomplished'
"Mission accomplished," pronounced a delighted Rubenstein afterwards, and confirmed that his top priority remained the sprint worlds in Hungary in August. "The marathon results tell me that my base training was right, and that there is a good foundation from which to continue my mission to qualify a boat for South Africa at the Beijing Olympic Games."

Rubenstein also heaped praise on the event organisers, and singled out the Port Edward venue as one of the most appealing venues he has ever raced at. "The whole event was very professionally run, from the layout of the course to the administration and timekeeping. Everything ran smoothly at a beautiful venue in great weather conditions."

Rubenstein and the core of the Gauteng training cell normally based at Homestead Lake in Benoni will stay in Port Edward for a three-week training camp, more suited to their preparations for the sprint world champs than the Highveld winter.

Retained titles
In the K1 section, Rubenstein and Alexa Lombard retained their national crowns in two contrasting races on Saturday.

Rubenstein was made to battle every inch of the way in his 35-kilometre tussle on the Umtamvuna River with Hank McGregor, while Lombard underscored her peerless status by racing away unchallenged to win by a massive margin.

Early on in the first lap of the senior men's race, Rubenstein and McGregor broke away alone, from Len Jenkins, Michael Arthur and Nick Burden. Jenkins eventually withdrew halfway through the race after battling to stay with the chasing bunches.

Exchanged the lead
Meanwhile, Rubenstein and McGregor exchanged the lead throughout the race, particularly on the sections around the portages. "Hank was really attacking hard going into the portages and on the run," said Rubenstein. "I had to be very sharp at the take-outs and put-ins to make sure he didn’t get away."

Rubenstein had the lead going into the final two kilometres, with McGregor on his wave, attacking repeatedly. However, he managed to sustain his pace for the final 10 minutes and won by just more than a boatlength from McGregor.

Nick Burden finished third in a great result for the young former KZN star, who has relocated to Gauteng to pursue his paddling goals.

The win completed a hat trick of wins for Rubenstein in the senior men's K1 marathon.

Lombard's win in the women's race was emphatic. Early on, she broke away from the other senior women and raced alone to secure her national title, and her spot in the SA team to the World Championships in France in September.

RESULTS

K2

Senior Men

	Alexa Lombard displays sharp focus as she drives hard downriver (Photo: Canoeing South Africa)

	SA flag flies high in Duisburg SA man takes G4 Challenge Rubenstein stars at World Cup Biggs, Pretorius: Umko Champs Records galore at Dusi 2006 Canoeing pioneer Lembethe dies Lombard rewrites Berg history Canoeing, rafting & kayaking in SA Three world-class canoe marathons

	Canoeing South Africa

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