CAPE TOWN – The simple question that needs to be asked at the SA Marathon Canoe Championships in Cape Town at the Peninsula Canoe Club this weekend is: Can Hamish Lovemore be beaten?
The 26-year-old KZN paddler has become such a major force in canoeing on the world stage that he goes into the national championships as an overwhelming favourite to claim three medals from the three senior men’s races.
In the short-course and long-course K1 (singles) events, his biggest challenges are likely to come from Uli Hart and Andy Birkett, but the reality is that it is likely to take a mishap for anybody to challenge the World Cup sprint medallist. Other paddlers challenging for medals will include Clint Cook, Kenny Rice, Nic Notten and Matt Fenn.
In the K2 race, Lovemore and Birkett have once again teamed up and the Olympic combination should have the beating of the other crews, although there are some exciting pairings that could claim the gold medals.
Among those most likely to challenge Lovemore and Birkett for the top step of the podium are Hart and Cook or Notten and Fenn, while the U23 combination of Matt Coetzer and Luke le Roux could pull off a surprise.
In the women’s racing, the absence of Saskia Hockly opens up the gold medal position with some tight racing expected as some young up-and-coming stars battle a couple of old hands for glory.
With the U23 races held in conjunction with the seniors’ events, former junior world champions Georgia Singe and Holly Smith could be fighting for two wins in one race, while Neriyah Dill is a potential U23 dark horse after her dominance of the Western Cape river season. However, seniors Jade Wilson and Melanie van Niekerk can call on their experience and they will be keen to use that to get the better of their young rivals.
In the women’s K2, Van Niekerk teams up with Smith, while Wilson and Singe will also be a strong combination.
The short course K1 events will take place on Friday, with the K1 long course on Saturday and K2 on Sunday.