SA's Bartho wins at Tahiti WC
30 November 2005
Durban paddler Darryl Bartho completed a hat-trick of wins for the South African team taking part in the Surf Ski World Cup in Australia and Tahiti at the weekend.
He won the third leg of the four-race World Cup series in blistering heat in Tahiti to keep the South African team in control of the overall team title.
Held off a legend
Bartho managed to hold off Tahitian legend Lewis Laughlan over the 30-kilometre race to win by just 10 seconds, with two other Tahitian paddlers taking third and four places, before the Chalupsky brothers added fifth and sixth place to the points for the South African team.
The race was held in blistering temperatures that topped 40 degrees at times, and traversed technically demanding waters around the Tahitian islands that offered a distinct advantage to the local paddlers.
The Chalupsky brothers, from the Kia/Men's Health team, shared wins in the first two races of the
series in Australia the previous weekend.
Out-performed Australia
The biggest threat to the overall World Cup title comes from the Australian team, which was unable to get a paddler into the top 10 in the third-leg race.
Bartho's win is another feather in an already crowded cap. He has twice won the K1 race of Australia's Avon Descent, and is a multiple SA surf ski and Wild Water champion.
Results
1. Darryl Bartho RSA 2:20.45
2. Lewis Laughlin Tahiti 2:20.55
3. Teiti Tauirai Tahiti 2:21.09
4. Tepa Leopold Tahiti 2:21.25
5. Oscar Chalupsky RSA 2:21.33
6. Herman Chalupsky RSA 2:22.35
7. Jean Luc Eychenne Tahiti 2:23.36
8. Ralph Teariki Tahiti 2:23.59
9. Bill Barff Tahiti 2:24.47
10. Clint Pretorius RSA 2:24.48
17. Brett Bartho RSA 2:31.34
26. Barry Lewin RSA 2:37.52
28. Neil Bailey RSA 2:39.12
Source: Canoeing South Africa
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