PIETERMARITZBURG, 28 JUNE 2017 – Saturday, 24 June, saw South Africa’s top surfski paddlers fight it out for the FNB Durban Downwind title, as well as the South African Singles Surfski Champion crown. Surfski paddlers from around the country gathered in Durban for an exciting 26km downwind challenge from La Mercy to Marine Surf Lifesaving Club, with the elite paddlers aiming to qualify for the South African team for the ICF Ocean Racing World Championships in Hong Kong in November. 

At La Mercy, the race set off with a backline start, where huge surf made it difficult for the paddlers to get out to the start line. Nineteen paddlers, including Dusi Champ, Andy Birkett, were forced to withdraw after breaking their skis in the backline break. Current World Surfski Series champion, Hank McGregor (Jeep Team), faced a serious challenge from Euro Steel’s Jasper Mocké as it came down to the line.

McGregor opted for a straight-line course closer ashore, while Mocké and his brother Dawid, chose a deep-water line. McGregor struggled through the surf coming in, beaching earlier than expected, and had to run to the finish line. Mocké, lining up his run, picked his way through the surf right to the finish. Despite running to the finish along the beach, McGregor finished less than one second behind Jasper Mocké, and clinched a slot in the national team for the World Champs. Third place went to Dawid Mocké, who won a sprint race with Kenny Rice for the last podium spot. 

Results – FNB Durban Downwind 2017

Men

1. Jasper Mocké      1:29:18.54

2. Hank McGregor    1:29:19.13

3. Dawid Mocké       1:29:55.32

 Women

1. Michelle Burn       1:42:58.20

2. Hayley Nixon        1:44:05.68

3. Nikki Russell        1:45:07.59 

Doubles

1. Zoog Haynes/Lance Howarth    1:32:48.69

2. Donna Winter/Shaun Burgin      1:37:18.48

3. Bruce Wenke/Justin Wenke      1:42:56.54 

###  EDITOR’S NOTES FNB Durban Downwind information

The Durban Downwind began its journey as Durban’s premier downwind surfski race in June 2014 when it hosted the South African Surfski Championships, ultimately won by Jasper Mocké and Nicole Russell respectively. In 2015 the race was added to the World Surfski Series calendar as a title race and with this came a new format of one race rather than a five-leg series, with a window period of two days. 

This window period worked well and the wind blew 25 knots for the paddlers from around SA and abroad to enjoy during the S1 clash. The race was won for the first time by a foreign paddler as Michael Booth from Australia clinched a nail biting finish with Dawid Mocké and Matthew Bouman finishing second and third respectively in the closest race of the world series for the year, and in 2016, Hank McGregor put his name on the Durban Downwind title list. With the awesome backing of title sponsor, FNB the event boasts an amazing R10 000 prize purse across its various age categories.

 For more info, visit www.durbandownwind.co.za 

Photo Credit: Gameplan Media   

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PIETERMARITZBURG, 2 June 2017 – South African surfski paddlers dominated the 42nd annual ex-World Championship event, the Maui Jim Molokai Challenge, in Hawaii on Sunday, 28 May 2017.  This race is the world’s oldest, longest and toughest surfski race testing paddler skill, endurance and knowledge of ocean surfing, plus an ability to manoeuvre against unpredictable weather conditions in the Kaiwi Channel. The Kaiwi Channel is an expanse of ocean between the Hawaiian Islands of Molokai and Oahu and is considered one of the roughest ocean channels in the world when the ocean is angry. 

The race started off the west end of Molokai near Kaluakoi, finishing 53km away in the Marina off Hawaii Kai. With paddlers competing in hot and flat conditions, the race became a real test of physical strength and endurance. With a very strong race contingent, the 2017 race was brutally tough up front with Sean Rice, Hank McGregor, Cory Hill, Jasper Mocké and Clint Robinson, all gunning for the win. 

Seven-time World Champion and three-time Molokai Winner, Hank McGregor, finished second in 3h46m07s. Fellow South African, Sean Rice, finished in first place in 3h43m08s, and Australian paddler, Cory Hill, taking third in 3h46m50s. 

Results -  Maui Jim Molokai Challenge 2017

Men

1. Sean Rice (RSA)           03:43:08

2. Hank McGregor (RSA)   03:46:07

3. Cory Hill (AUS)              03:46:50 

Women

1, Rachel Clarke (NZL)      04:34:43

2. Tricia Gilbert (AUS)       05:06:04

3. Sarah Davis (AUS)        05:37:50

EDITORS NOTES 

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Written and distributed on behalf of Jeep Team SA by Hot Salsa MediaContact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information, interviews and photos.  

This weekend sees multiple World Champion, Hank McGregor (Jeep Team) defend his Molokai Challenge hattrick title against the best surfski paddlers in the world.  Originally named Kanaka Ikaika, the Molokai Challenge is a true test of paddling skill, endurance and knowledge of ocean surfing. It tests a paddler’s ability to manoeuvre against unpredictable weather conditions in the Kaiwi Channel. The Kaiwi Channel, more often called the “Molokai Channel” is an expanse of ocean between the island of Molokai and Oahu. It is considered one of the roughest ocean channels in the world when the ocean is angry.The start is off the west end of Molokai near Kaluakoi, and finishes 51-km away in the Marina off Hawaii Kai. ‘The Molokai’, the former World Championships of Open Ocean Surfski, is one of the toughest races on the surfski calendar, and the 2016 race was no exception.  

With flat conditions and a very strong race contingent, the 2016 race was brutally tough up front with Clint Robinson, Jasper Mocke, Sean Rice, Hank McGregor and Cory Hill all trading places throughout the 53-km crossing.  In the end, it was McGregor who crossed the line in 1st place, paddling past a very frustrated Cory Hill who, with only 2-km left to the finish, had gone too close to the infamous China Wall reefs, consequently smashing his rudder.The defending champion had to relinquish his lead to give McGregor a Molokai hattrick.  Sean Rice and Jasper Mocke, who are both still searching for that elusive Molokai victory, capitalized on a step up the podium, while 3 x former winner Clint Robinson finished in 4th place.                          

2016 Men’s Rankings

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JOHANNESBURG, 11 APRIL 2017 – Jeep Team’s eight-time World Canoe Marathon Champion, multiple SA Flat Water Marathon Champion, multiple SA River Marathon Champion, and multiple SA Surfski Champion, Hank McGregor, has been nominated for the Sport Industry Personality of the Year Award at the 2017 Discovery Sport Industry Awards.  An exciting feature of the award is that the winner will be selected by members of the public via an online voting system. The newly-launched Sport Personality of the Year Award has been established to recognise and honour individuals who have made a significant impact to the sport industry and excelled both on and off the field. Nominated alongside McGregor for the 2017 Sport Personality of the Year is Douglas Ryder (Ryder Cycling, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka), John Comitis (Cape Town City Football Club), and Mimi Mthethwa-Zulu (Netball South Africa). 

To be nominated for the Sport Industry Personality of the Year, sporting personalities should have had a distinguished year in the sport industry, demonstrated how they improved their immediate environments, and be someone who has used PR, marketing, social media, sport marketing and CSI to innovatively and creatively raise their sport’s profile and that of the sports industry.

Says McGregor, “I am honoured to be nominated for Sport Industry Personality of the Year at the Discovery Sport Industry Awards. A big congrats to all nominees.” Discovery Sport Industry Awards is on the 18 May at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Voting for Hank here - http://www.sportindustry.co.za/news/hank-mcgregor-%E2%80%93-world-paddling-champion                                                           

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For Jeep Team SA: Max Cluer

GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA, NOVEMBER 2016 - Seven of the top ten paddlers who raced the elite Dragon Run in Hong Kong on Saturday 14th November were South African paddlers, showing the world that South Africans are best in breed when it comes to paddling the world’s oceans. Jeep Team athlete Hank McGregor continued his world domination, winning the Dragon Run title, thereby also earning himself enough points to claim the World Surfki Series Title uncontested.

To win the Dragon Run, McGregor (38) had a neck-to-neck 23km ocean battle with the reigning ICF World Surfski Champion, Australian Cory Hill (27), but powered through the finish to secure his third win in the race’s history by  a mere 18 seconds. The South African paddlers who finished in top 10 were Hank McGregor (1st), Sean Rice (3rd) and Kenny Rice (7th), Matt Bouman (4th) Dawid Mocke (5th), Jasper Mocke (8th), and Ian Black (10th). Jeep Team athlete, Barry Lewin, placed 11th.

Said Hank McGregor. “I am really happy to be able to defend my title here in Hong Kong against such a top class field. It was a ding-dong battle between myself and Cory (Hill) and I was really happy to be able pull it off right at the end.” McGregor faces his final race of the year on the 26th of November in Perth Australia. Hailed as the world’s premier and biggest ocean downwind paddling race, The Perth Doctor, is Australia’s most exciting ocean paddling event from Rottnest Island to Sorrento Beach covering 27.5kms (or vice versa depending on wind conditions).

SUMMARY OF RESULTS MEN

1. Hank McGregor RSA 1:32:30
2. Cory Hill AUS 1:32:48
3. Sean Rice RSA 1:34:03
4. Matt Bouman RSA 1:35:21
5. Dawid Mocké RSA 1:36:35
6. Caine Eksteen AUS 1:36:55
7. Kenny Rice RSA 1:38:16
8. Jasper Mocké RSA 1:39:47
9. Austen Kiefer USA 1:39:57
10. Ian Black RSA 1:40:19

WOMEN

1. Teneale Hatton NZL 1:52:47
2. Hayley Nixon RSA 1:53:20
3. Rachel Clark NZL 1:55:05
4. Jenna Ward RSA 1:55:08
5. Nikki Russell RSA 1:58:08

OTHER JEEP TEAM NEWS: Triathlon Rising Triathlete superstar, Mikaela Jonsson, is competing in the 2016 Snowy Mountains ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships (Under 19’s) from the 17-20 November at Lake Crackenback, Snowy Mountains, Australia. This is Mikaela’s final junior year as an Under 19 athlete. Australia’s spectacular Snowy Mountains venue in NSW, is being held at the beautiful Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa in the heart of the Snowies. Located in the heart of Australia’s High County, and starting at an altitude of 1100m with Australia’s highest peak, Mt Kosciusko as the backdrop, this Championship multisport weekend will challenge athletes of all levels. The course includes some of the best fast and flowing single track mountain bike trails, and gritty off road running trails found anywhere in Australia. Jonsson’s Junior U19 race consists of a 500m swim in the cold 16-20 degree Lake Crackenback, a 12km MTB, which will be two 6km laps comprising approx. 80% grippy, flowing single track, rocky paths, bridges, rock gardens and creek crossings, and finish off with a 3.3km trail run, a technically challenging course even though there are no mammoth hills, there are energy-sapping constant short, punchy climbs and descents with creek crossings, a river run, a suspension bridge, obstacles, rock scrambles and some true off road terrain.

Obstacle Course Racing OCR Athletes Thomas Van Tonder, Carina Marx, Jay Jay Deysel and Joshua Masudi face the final 8th round of the Jeep Warrior Series at Legends MX in Pretoria from 19-20th November. The seeding going into the final race in the series presents many ‘what if’s’ for the final race. Although Thomas van Tonder is leading the Black Ops Elite series title race quite comfortably, the possibility remains that either Greg Avierinos, Bradley Classe, or even Jay Jay Deysel could take the series win with the extra 4000 points if van Tonder doesn’t finish his race or is disqualified. The more relaistic fight is between 2nd and 3rd podium between the 3 men, and it could be any of them. A real race to the end could be between Jeep Team’s Carina Marx and ex-Jeep Team mate, Dominque d’Oliveria, for 3rd spot on the series podium. Marx is on 14 980 points and D’Oliveria is on 14 429 points. Leading female, Hanneke Dannhauser, has a perfect score with 5 wins (best 5 results) and 20 000 points so she is untouchable, with Trish Bahlmann in second with 18082 points. Let the battles begin!      

About Jeep Team SA: Jeep Team SA was founded in 2001 with its first calendar year of racing in 2002. 13 years later the team continues to identify and produce world class athletes across its selected sporting disciplines. Its core ethos and focus has never changed and has always been based on helping the athletes achieve their goals and dreams by providing them with the right building blocks and teaching them the business of sport.

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JOHANNESBURG, 07 NOVEMBER 2016 – Jeep Team’s eight-time World Canoe Marathon Champion, Hank McGregor, is set to end 2016 on a high note after being nominated for the Sportsman of the Year award at both the South African Sports Awards and the World Paddlers Awards. McGregor has proven unbeatable in 2016, winning numerous international and national titles across different paddling disciplines that included surfski, flat water and river canoe marathon, and canoe sprints.

Highlights from McGregor’s 2016 season include double gold at the IFC Canoe Marathon World Championships in Germany; winning the Breizh Ocean Race (France), and the Mauritius Ocean Classic. Local victories include a record 11th win at the Berg River Marathon, winning the Hansa River Canoe Marathon, the Durban Downwind, and the Umkomaas Canoe Marathon. It is this formidable form and performance that has earned him the prestigious nomination at both the national and international sporting awards.

This is McGregor’s first nomination for South African Sportsman of the Year at the South African Sports Awards, which puts him in line to take home the title of Sportsman of the Year along with the R130 000 prize money when the awards take place on 26 November in Mangaung. Other nominees in this category include last year’s winner, Wayde van Niekerk (Olympic Gold Athletics), Caster Semenya (Olympic Gold), and Chad le Clos (Olympic Silver Swimming). The South African Sports Awards were established in 2005 to recognise and honour individuals and teams who have excelled both on and off the field.

To be nominated for the Sportsman of the Year Award, athletes should have produced a world-class performance on the national, continental and global arena, continuously set world records, and displayed acceptable conduct in their respective sporting codes. McGregor’s sportsmanship has been recognised locally and internationally, consistently nominated for top honours at the World Paddler Awards since its inception three years ago. McGregor was the first athlete to take home the coveted World Paddler Sportsman of the Year Award at the inaugural awards in Germany in 2014.

Nominated alongside McGregor for the 2016 World Paddler Sportsman of the Year Award is Travis Grant (Australia), Curtis McGrath (United Kingdom), Aniol Serasolses (Spain) and the Men’s Canoe Polo Team (Italy).

Says McGregor: “I am honoured to be nominated for the Sportsman of the Year at SA Sports Awards and the World Paddler Awards.  To be nominated amongst such a strong field of athletes really is the finishing touch to a great year for me. Thank you to everyone who continues to support me along my journey, and big congrats to all nominees” The World Paddler Sportsman of the Year Award celebrates the most remarkable and outstanding male athlete or male team from the world of paddle-sports, as well as recognising the athlete’s achievements from the previous calendar year.

This ceremony takes place in Portugal in February 2017. This weekend, 12th and 13th November, McGregor will be in Hong Kong competing in his final international race of the year, the Hong Kong Dragon Run, a premier World Surfski Series event. This race is a tough 24km downwind paddling route traversing the spectacular Hong Kong Island.  The start is at Clearwater bay beach in Kowloon, and ends at Stanley Main beach on Hong Kong Island.

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PIETERMARITZBURG, 18 OCTOBER 2016 – Jeep Team’s eight-time World Canoe Marathon Champion, Hank McGregor, this past weekend won the John Woods Three Sisters Single Surfski Challenge and is now off to France to compete in the 7th edition of the Breizh Ocean Race, a World Surfski Series Race, which will be hosted in Morbihan France. McGregor recently clinched his seventh Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon win, and it isn’t over yet for the unstoppable McGregor as he is ready to end 2016 with a bang by competing in three more race titles, two them being in France and Hong Kong.

This has been a formidable year in which McGregor has proven to be unbeatable after winning numerous international and national titles across different paddling disciplines including surfski, flat water and river canoe marathon, and canoe sprints, but it isn’t over yet.

Says McGregor “I am amped and ready to take on the last few challenges for the year. It has been a good year and I am stoked for the wins and the chance to compete against the best South African and International paddlers. The next few races are going to be challenging and I hope to finish off this year on a high note.” McGregor is now off to France to compete in the 7th edition of the Breizh Ocean Race, a World Surfski Series Race, which will be hosted in Morbihan France from the 21st to 23rd October. Following a second place finish in 2014, behind fellow South African Jasper Mocké, McGregor will be vying for a win on this downwind surfski course.

McGregor will then join South African paddlers for the annual Pete Marlin Surfski Champs happening at Nahoon Beach in East London on the 5th and 6th November 2016. The Wild Coast boasts some of the best downwind conditions in South Africa. This Surfski Champs is part of the World Surfski Series and is a 23km downwind race between the Orient and Yellow Sands beaches finishing at Nahoon Beach. Other South African paddlers in this race will include Barry Lewin and Dawie Mocké. The final stopover for McGregor will be the Hong Kong Dragon Run happening in Kowloon, Hong Kong from 12-13 November. This International Surfski Championships event boasts a 24km course starting at Clearwater Bay and finishing at Stanley Main Beach. Though the weather conditions in Hong Kong in November provide excellent downward paddling conditions, the course will present paddlers with highly technical conditions for the majority of the race, testing the best of the best in the world.   Ends      

Editors’ Notes Hank McGregor Remaining Races for 2016  Race Location Date   Breizh Ocean Race Morbihan, France 21-23 October 2016, Peter Marlin SA Surfski Champs Nahoon Beach, East London 5-6 November 2016 and Hong Kong Dragon Run World Series Clearwater Bay, Kowloon- Hong Kong 12-13 November 2016.

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KWAZULU-NATAL, DURBAN, 22 AUGUST 2016 – In an epic weekend of Surfski prowess, Jeep Team Surfski World Champion, Hank McGregor, paired with Lee Furby, claimed a strategic victory in the Gara Dolphin Coast Challenge, a two-day stage race off the Dolphin Coast that saw paddlers fighting for the title in a gruelling challenge that started from Suncoast and ended at Zinkwazi, with a nail-biting finish and narrow victory to the seasoned pair.

Day one was a 42km paddle from Suncoast Pirates Surf Lifesaving Club to Salt Rock. In a dramatic end to the day, race leaders at the time, McGregor and Furby, took an unfortunate swim in the sprint finish, giving team, Matt Bouwman and Wade Krieger, the edge to claim the opening day honours, and a 40-second head start into day two.   Day two of this downwind epic was 32km from Salt Rock to Zinkwazi. McGregor and Furby had much to do to catch up the 40-second deficit from day one. But like only McGregor can, using different lines and years of global paddling experience, he and Furby did the business to claim overall race honours in one of the most exciting events on the Surfski calendar.

Said McGregor at the end of Day 2, "The conditions were tough today with an offshore wind blowing and I think that the fitter pairs were able to benefit from it. We decided not to go too deep today and rather remain in the shallower water whilst Matt and Wade went deep, which made quite a big difference at the end of the race.”

RACE RESULTS

Men                                                                            Day 1               Day 2            Final 1.

Hank McGregor/Lee Furby                                            2:36:52            2:15:12         4:52:04

2. Matt Bouman/Wade Krieger                                      2:36:12            2:19:15          4:55:27

3. Luke Nisbet/Gene Prato                                            2:39:47            2:17:25          4:57:12

4. Steve Woods/Bevan Manson                                     2:44:35            2:16:58           5:01:34

5. Linton Hope/Zoog Heyns                                           2:48:48            2:28:06          5:16:55

Women                                                                       Day 1             Day 2              Final 1.

Nikki Russell/Jenna Ward                                              3:07:11          2:36:37            5:43:48  

Other Jeep Team results       OCR   The Jeep Warrior Race Series consists of eight events across South Africa. Jeep Warrior Race#5 Hazeldean Valley, Pretoria East took place on 20 and 21st August. Jeep Team’s OCR athletes who took podium in the Black Ops Elites event were Corina Marx and Thomas van Tonder.   Van Tonder took 2nd place (Men) in a time of 01h40, and Marx took 3rd place (Women) in 02h33. In the same race, Jeep Team’s JJ. Deysel came in 7th and Joshua Masudi came 11th.

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5 JULY 2016, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – Canoe king, Hank McGregor (Jeep Team), continued his world-class reign of legendary back-to-back victories to claim his fourth Investec Mauritius Ocean Classic title on Saturday, 2 July 2016. The 26km event, which took place near Black River, Mauritius, also doubled as Round 1 of the 2016 ICF Ocean Racing World Cup, which is a new, three-part series on the world surfski calendar. Paddlers faced rough 25-knot downwind conditions at Saturday’s race, with McGregor commenting that “conditions were pretty wild out there, it was super cool! There were some wide-eyed paddlers.” It was a close race against McGregor (Jeep Team), with Australia’s Cory Hill and Michael Booth, and South Africa’s Jasper Mocké and Barry Lewin (Jeep Team), all battling it out for the title until the final two kilometres where McGregor edged ahead to claim the win in 1h08. Hill finished 2nd in 1h09, followed by Booth in 3rd (1h10), Mocké 4th (1h11m30) and Lewin 5th (1h11m57).

Said McGregor, “The final 2km saw us head into the notorious Le Morne Pass, where it’s a hard slog against strong headwinds to the end. I was able to get the lead going into this point, managing to keep it at three hundred metres all the way to the finish. I’m stoked with my fourth win here in a top-class field. The Mauritius Ocean Classic is one of my favourite surfski events as it is a very family-orientated race. This year, my wife Pippa and son Thorsten were here with me, and it was awesome to have their support!” Said Lewin, “I’m stoked with my 5th place finish in Mauritius. Love racing the top guys in the world, and the challenge of a wild ocean. Can't wait for next year.” Round 2 of the ICF Ocean Racing World Cup, the Nelo Summer Challenge, takes place in Portugal this weekend, 8 - 10 July 2016. The third and final event is happening in Tahiti in September 2016. It’s turning into another remarkable year for canoe king McGregor as he proves an unbeatable force in world surfski. At the end of May, he conquered the world’s toughest surfski ultra marathon, the 53km Maui Jim Molokai Surfski Challenge in Hawaii, for a third time. Just a few days later, he won the world’s oldest surfski event, the Illovo Pirates Umhlanga Pirates Surfski Race, in Durban. Then on 29 June, McGregor claimed victory at the FNB Durban Downwind, which is a 2016 World Surfski Series title event. In-between these surfski races, he also won the K1 title at the 2016 South African Canoe Marathon Championships in Cape Town, a result which has qualified him for the 2016 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships taking place in Germany later this year.

2016 INVESTEC MAURITIUS OCEAN CLASSIC RESULTS:

1. Hank McGregor (SA) - 1:08:46
2. Cory Hill (AUS) - 1:09:43
3. Michael Booth (AUS) - 1:10:18
4. Jasper Mocké (SA) - 1:11:30
5. Barry Lewin (SA) - 1:11:57

Other Jeep Team Results: BMX Jeep Team’s 16-year-old BMX athlete, Alex Dolman, took on riders much older than himself this weekend, as he competed in the Elite category at Rounds 4, 5 and 6 of the 2016 SA BMX National Age Group Series, which took place at the Rhino and Lion Reserve in Gauteng. Dolman managed to place 8th overall. OCR On Saturday, Jeep Team’s OCR champion, Thomas van Tonder, completed the Wolf Pack Challenge, an extreme, but fun, trail running event in Gauteng where there are no winners or losers. Started by Herman Mulder, the event has been designed for trail runners looking for a hard-core, no frills, back-to-basics physical challenge. The challenge comprised of five ascents of the Magaliesburg to the beacon above the Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway. This equalled 1600m ascent over 21km.

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Editors’ Notes
For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

15 JUNE 2016, CAPE TOWN – In a fierce showdown, multiple world-champion paddler, Hank McGregor (Jeep Team), claimed the K1 2016 South African Canoe Marathon Championship title just split seconds ahead of Andy Birkett and Brandon van der Walt at the 2016 South African Canoe Marathon Championships, which took place at Zandvlei, Cape Town, on 11 June 2016.  

The result was a reversal of the 2015 outcome where Birkett narrowly pipped McGregor to the title after a similar hard-fought sprint finish.

It was set to be a nail-biting championship from the get go, with South Africa’s best paddlers fighting for the limited two spots per age category on the South African team heading to the 2016 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Brandenburg, Germany, in September.

Following the weekend’s results, both McGregor and Birkett will be representing South Africa in the Senior Men’s K1 event at the World Championships, where McGregor will be gunning for a fourth consecutive K1 World title.

Saturday’s K1 race took place in tough cold and windy conditions at the Peninsula Canoe Club in Zandvlei.  At the fourth portage, a set-back saw Birkett fall out his boat. In a show of true sportsmanship, McGregor waited while Birkett climbed back into his boat, with the duo then racing to catch up with the group of paddlers in front.

In the final 200m of the race, McGregor, Birkett and Van der Walt edged ahead of the pack, leading to the exhilarating final sprint, with the three paddlers finishing within split seconds of each other in 2h14m17s.

Said McGregor, “It’s an exposed course, and pretty much the first port of call when the wind coming from the South Pole hits Africa. On Saturday it was windy, but these unpredictable conditions turned it into more of a surfski race, so the experienced surfski paddlers definitely had the advantage! I am stoked with this win. Thanks to everyone for all your support on the bank and well done to all the competitors on a solid, very challenging race.”

On Sunday in the K2 SA Championships, a last minute change of plans saw McGregor partner with Siseko Ntondini, instead of Jasper Mocke who withdrew due to illness.

Birkett / Louis Hattingh won the K2 event with Van der Walt / Stu McLaren in 2^nd, and McGregor / Ntondini in 3^rd.

RESULTS: SENIOR MEN K1

1. Hank McGregor - 2:14:17
2. Andy Birkett - 2:14:17
3. Brandon van der Walt - 2:14:19

RESULTS: SENIOR MEN K2

1. Andy Birkett/Louis Hattingh - 2:00:26
2. Brandon der Walt /Stu McLaren - 2:00:28
3. Hank McGregor/Siseko Ntondini - 2:01:28 

#JeepTeamSA                 

Editors’ Notes

PHOTO CAPTION: Hank McGregor and Siseko Ntondini during the 2016 K2 SA Canoe Marathon Championships in Zandvlei, Cape Town. Photographer: John Hishin / Gameplan Media