Surfski | SA Surfski Team Looking To Maintain Their Dominance
Madeira Island – The South African surfski racing team will be looking to upgrade a few medals and maintain their reputation as the world's top country when they take part in the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Champs in Madeira Island on Friday and Saturday.
South African Champion Uli Hart looks like the best bet to give South Africa the men's world title.
Leading the South African contingent will be current South African champions Michelle Burn and Uli Hart, while the "Old Man of the Sea", 46-year-old Hank McGregor will once again be looking to complete his collection of medals by filling the one gap that remains in his over-laden trophy cabinet.
Burn and Hart were clear winners at the recent South African Surfski Championships in Durban, and they are definite contenders for the senior titles when they take on the world's best in the singles races on Friday afternoon.
2023 U23 World Champion Kira Bester is favourite to retain her title and expected to be on the podium in the overall race.
In the women's race, last year's runner up Burn, Melanie van Niekerk and under 23s Kira Bester and Saskia Hockly form a potent South African squad that has the firepower to crowd the podium. Defending champion Jemma Smith from Australia will not be defending her title, so American Ana Swetish is expected to provide the biggest threat to a South African clean-sweep.
The U23 woman's race will be almost as competitive with last year's top three, Bester, Swetish and Hockly, all also once again eligible for the age-group medals.
The men's race will see Hart as probably the marginal favourite to give South Africa a victory. The Cape Town paddler was a step up from his rivals at the SA Champs and has enjoyed a great year with some big race results, including an U23 silver medal in a very competitive field at the Marathon World Champs two weeks ago.
However, the paddler to beat is surely Australia's Cory Hill, whose three wins in 2015, 2017 and last year make him the only non-South African to win the men's world title. He seems to be on top form once again and it is going to take a special performance to prevent his fourth win.
46-year-old Hank McGregor is the sentimental favourite to win the World Championships title.
The sentimental favourite will surely be McGregor. The vastly experienced veteran has made no secret of his desire to claim an Ocean Racing World Championship win. McGregor has won just about every major canoeing event and has 11 World Marathon Canoeing titles on his CV. However, he has "only" three second-place finishes from the World Surfski Champs, including a silver medal from 2023, and is desperate to add a gold to his collection.
Others South Africans who are sure to be in the mix include brothers Josh and Matt Fenn and 2022 winner Kenny Rice, while the European charge is likely to come from Germany's Gordan Harbrecht and Frenchman Hector Henot.
The weather predictions are for a north easterly wind which will mean the course will take paddlers from Machico to Funchal on the south eastern side of the Portugese Island in the Atlantic Ocean, with conditions that will not suit the big-wave downwind specialists.
"I have been here for a few days so I've had a couple days to check out what the course is like and I've paddled on it every day since we've been here," said Hockly from Madeira this week. "It looks like it's going to be the north east course on Friday, so I am really excited about that because it is a beautiful stretch of coast.
"The forecast are showing it's looking like it's going to play into my hands a little bit. The conditions look like they are going to be small and a little technical, so it's gonna require some work to get on the runs, which is exactly what I've wanted for this race.
"My build-up hasn't really been what it should be if I'm being completely honest, because I raced the World Marathon Champs and so I put a lot of my focus into the flat-water stuff to prepare myself for that. But I also know that that training will benefit me in the surfski, so I'm feeling ready
Saskia Hockly is hoping to improve on her U23 bronze medal from 2023.
"I think my chances of a medal in the singles are pretty good. I train hard and I believe I'm good enough to stack up. I trained with Michelle Burn and she's probably one of the best ocean paddlers in the world at the moment, so it's nice to have her as a training buddy. I have a lot of faith in my training and that it would have prepared me, so this year I'm hoping to maybe better my bronze from the under 23s last year where I missed silver by a couple of seconds in the last 300 metres.
"In the U23s, I think Kira will be my biggest challenge. She is on top form at the moment and has been putting a lot of work into the paddling and it's been paying off incredibly well ... and I will keep an eye on Ana Swetish from the United States, who just beat me last year."
Hart was less enthusiastic about the conditions but still cautiously optimistic after his recent silver medal at the World Marathon Championships.
"I think it will be small surf, so it will be a tough grind with not much help," said last year's U23 runner-up to compatriot Matt Fenn. "I have had a really good season with good mileage and good quality while I was preparing for marathon worlds. Maybe not as many paddles on the ocean as I would like for this, but I am feeling pretty good this week.
"This is my last year at U23. Last year's winner Matt Fenn must be a favourite in that category, alongside the local paddler Bernardo Pereira who was third last year. He lives here so will have home-water advantage.
"For the overall, all the big names are here ... Cory, Hank, Kenny, the Fenn brothers, Gordan, Bernardo and Hector, so it is going to be hard, but that is what we enjoy."
A strong junior team will also be looking to get some medals, with Georgia Singe leading the way after her two silver medals at the World Marathon Championships, while her K2 partner and defending champion Holly Smith, is also tipped to be on the podium.
The racing is scheduled to start at 3pm SA time on Friday, with the mixed doubles event a day later, when Matt Fenn and Hockly carry SA hopes in the senior race, Singe and Hart in the U23s and Holly and Ryley Smith in the juniors.
SA Team
Women
Jade Wilson
Jenna Nisbet
Melanie Van Niekerk
Michelle Burn
U23s
Saskia Hockly
Kira Bester
Juniors
Georgia Singe
Holly Smith
Men
Dawid Mocke
Hank McGregor
Josh Fenn
Kenny Rice
Mark Keeling
U23s
Matt Fenn
Uli Hart
Juniors
Heath Clarke
Ryley Smith
2024, Surfski, Hank McGregor, Kira Bester, Saskia Hockly, ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Champs, Uli Hart