5 days ago
Dabs paddlers find success in Portugal
Dabulamanzi Canoe Club (Dabs) paddlers were among the South African paddlers who enjoyed their experience at the U23 Canoe Sprint Championships held in Portugal from July 23 to 27. They competed in various race distances, heats, semi finals, and finals, gaining experience and enjoyment over the few days.
Read more: Young paddlers hit the water running at the Canoe Polo SA Championships
Alexa Godden reached the semi finals in her two singles races, 200m and 500m, having paddled in three events at the regatta. She also joined Jordan Klopper, in the U23 mixed relay, where they finished 16th.
Emmarentia resident Kayla Szalay thoroughly enjoyed her first world cup sprint event, which can be quite daunting. While participating in the 1 000m and 500m events, she realised that competing is a long term journey. It builds a foundation for future victories, creates learning opportunities, and develops grit and determination, even when not achieving the positions hoped for. A tough lesson for a young person to learn, it will stand her in good stead for the future.
Kayla partnered with Cody Stallard in the long, 5 000m mixed relay, finishing 18th after navigating chaotic portages.
Fellow Dabs paddler Klopper progressed out of the heats in the 200m K1 (single kayak), where he finished ninth in the semi-finals. This was Klopper's third international event, and he thoroughly enjoyed the championships this year. He felt it was a really tough challenge, but learned a lot and gained experience, and he looks forward to his growth and improvement going forward.
Matthew Wilson has trained at Dabs since he was U8, and has, subsequently, achieved numerous international victories. For this competition, he doubled with Sbulelo Ngobese in the 500m K2 event, finishing eighth in the junior category (U18) heats. Matthew also represented SA in Szeged, Hungary, at the Olympic Hopes in 2024, and also participated at this year's Dusi River.
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