Having trailed by just a second overnight, it was the pair of Jenna Ward and Kyeta Purchase who claimed the overall Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon spoils after an enthralling second and final stage on Saturday.
It was effectively going to be a sprint over the final 36km from Knutsford to Cradock with the top two boats separated by a second each. The added pressure of a national river marathon title also seemed to add another dimension to the contest.
Overnight it seemed that Christie Mackenzie and Bridgitte Hartley were going to be the stronger of the two, however it came down to Cradock Weir and the pair Mackenzie and Hartley took a race-defining swim that saw them end second.
Ward and Purchase just kept on chipping away at the more fancied pair and they took their opportunity when it came which gave them a memorable win and a second K2 win in a row for Ward.
“In the build-up Kyeta said that she thought that the race was going to come down to Cradock Weir and I wasn’t sure but to be kept on our toes for two days was really exciting!” Ward said.
“It just shows how strong women’s paddling is at the moment in South Africa and hats off to Christie and Bridg who were so strong over the two days and kept putting us under pressure.
“It was fantastic racing and we are just so glad to have kept it clean and come out on top!”
The last time the pair paddled the Fish was Purchase’s first river race in 2015 and to have come away with a win four years later shows how well the pair have developed over the years.
After a solid day on the first day, Nikki Birkett and Amy Peckett came home in third place to wrap up the final podium position.
In the age group contests, Tracey Oellermann and Sabina Lawrie were the strongest Under-23 crew in the race.
More information can be found at www.fishmarathon.org.za.
Summary of Results – 2019 Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon
Overall
1. Jenna Ward/Kyeta Purchase 2:07:50 5:10:15
2. Christie Mackenzie/Bridgitte Hartley 2:09:45 5:12:09
3. Nikki Birkett/Amy Peckett 2:20:49 5:31:24
4. Tracey Oellermann/Sabina Lawrie (U23) 2:20:23 5:38:05
5. Kim van Gysen/Alex Adie 2:29:28 5:51:54
6. Georgina Howard/Lizanne Conradie (U16) 2:30:24 5:54:56
7. Cayleigh Shaw/Fraces Forsyth (U18) 2:36:22 6:12:38
8. Tamara Sneyd/Hilary Bruss 2:39:37 6:14:55
9. Cara Waud/Shannon Parker-Dennison (U18) 2:34:03 6:21:11
10. Laila Maher/Hannah Bruni (U16) 2:37:51 6:25:06
Photo 1 Caption: Following another exciting day of racing, Euro Steel pair of Jenna Ward (right) and Kyeta Purchase (left) claimed the women’s honours at the 2019 Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon on Saturday. Photo: Neil Bisiker/Gameplan Media
With editing by gsport
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