10 April 2006

Cameron McIntosh retained his South African slalom canoeing title on the Ash River outside Clarens on the weekend after a ding-dong tussle with Cape junior Michael Watson.

Watson stunned all at the event by beating McIntosh in qualifying and went into the semi-final as the fastest boat on the full Ash River course, which had been set up by the visiting French coach Jean Jerome Perrin.

In the semi-finals, Watson was less than half a second behind multiple SA title holder McIntosh, with the seasoned Barcelona Olympian Alick Rennie, who was battling with a bad cold, a few seconds further down the leaderboard, setting the scene for a thrilling showdown in the final.

Fast run
In the final, McIntosh turned in another fast run, touching just one gate, while Watson went faster, but touched two gate poles, each costing him a two-second penalty, which saw him end the classic encounter less than three seconds behind McIntosh on the combined scores from the semi-final and final.

Master Cele won the C1 title from Cyprian Ngidi, and produced the fastest clear run in the final, displaying his strong progression as a top class C1 paddler.

Kate Cornish took the senior women's title from Laura Thompson, who battled with the unfamiliar course.

African competitors
The event was attended by paddlers from Swaziland and Zambia, and was watched by an enthusiastic crowd from nearby Clarens and Bethlehem.

The new course on the Ash River was set up over an exciting stretch of river, but was accessible to the less skilled as well as the experienced paddlers. The offset gates seven through none, which required the paddlers to traverse the full width of the river, through some big waves, caused most of the trouble.

ICF Slalom chairperson Jean Michel Prono conducted a slalom beginners' clinic on the flatwater near the course, training a number of keen novices. He was impressed by the event, which ran in full compliance of all the ICF rules, and was enthusiastic about the emerging slalom talent on display.

RESULTS

Senior Men's K1

	SA Slalom canoe champion Cameron McIntosh battles rough waters (Photo: Canoeing South Africa)

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