Defending champions Kira Bester and Melanie van Niekerk were clearly the stronger crew on Day 1 of the Breede River Canoe Marathon from Robertson to Bonnievale on Saturday and now enjoy a solid 66-second advantage over Candice Starr and Stephanie von der Heyde at the start of stage two from Bonnievale to Swellendam on Sunday.
“The water level was so nice today and it all went to plan for us,” said Bester on Saturday afternoon. “Our gampelan was to stick with the other women until Sliding Weir and then try and make a break from there … and that is pretty much what happened.”
“We pulled the group into Sliding Weir and then in the long two or three kilometres of rapids after that we broke away and opened up a gap of about 200m by the time we reached Secunda Weir.”
Bester is cautiously optimistic about their chances of successfully defending the Western Cape K2 title the pair won 12 months ago.
“Tomorrow we start in elapsed time and have a nice group of paddlers around us to work with while it looks like Candice and Stephanie will not have the same help from crews around them.
“But it is a river race, so you can never be too confident, and we do have a bit of a history of taking swims, so it may be nice to have a bit of a cushion starting the final day,” she added with a laugh.
Leading Women’s Results on Day 1 of the Breede River Canoe Marathon, on Saturday, 7 September, 2024
1. Melanie van Niekerk / Kira Bester 02:21:07
2. Candice Starr / Stephanie von der Heyde 02:22:13
3. Tayla Isaac / Rachel van Deventer 02:36:25
Leading Mixed Results
1. Joanne Conradie / Jermaine Pietersen 02:28:22
2. Bianca Beavitt / Crispin Thompson 02:29:01
3. David Marsh / Tamsin Lovelock 02:29:32
Original Copy: Tim Whitfield for Gameplan Media, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Melanie van Niekerk and Kira Bester (right) smile with their Day 1 prizes after besting the field to reach the Breede River Canoe Marathon’s first stage’s finish at Red Bridge first. Photo: Lisa Scott / Gameplan Media
Photo 2 Caption: 2023 winners Kira Bester and Melanie van Niekerk are back to defend their title this weekend. File Photo: John Hishin / Gameplan Media
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