ANT Stott and Michael Mbanjwa cemented their position as favourites to win this year’s Hansa Powerade Dusi Canoe Marathon when they came from behind to win the Inanda Dam to Blue Lagoon race yesterday on a medium to low Umgeni River enhanced by a 15 cumec water release from the dam.

The start of the race was delayed by a good half-hour when the paddlers began to arrive at the start area only to find the gates of the Msinsi Resort on the banks of the dam locked.

Once order had been restored, the field of 500 paddlers in 280 boats were set off by starter John Oliver led by an ultra-competitive bunch of five boats that saw Kingfisher’s Wayne Wilson and Paul Rabinowitz lead the race across the dam and down to the put-in above the first of succession of wild water rapids.

Incredibly, Stott and Mbanjwa floundered as the four challengers got tangled in the fierce contest to get mobile in the turbulent waters of the Umgeni and found themselves frantically emptying the water out of their boat as Wilson and Rabinowitz and the others made a clean getaway.

“We managed to keep our cool and not panic,” said Stott, “and then gradually worked our way forward until we caught Wayne and Paul at Umzinati Rapids and we realised they had problems of their own.”

Stott and Mbanjwa applied themselves to the task ahead and opened a two-and-a-half minute gap on Shaun Biggs and his cousin, 19-year-old Ben, to win the 35 km equivalent of the third and last stage of the Dusi in two hours 32 minutes 13 seconds.

The Biggs boys and Dabulamanzi’s Piers Cruickshanks and Jacques Theron were virtually together in second place in 2:35:50 with Mark and Craig Willment a second ahead of Nick Burden and Kelvin Trautman in 2:38:29.

Dusi stalwart Abbey Miedema and partner Robyn Kime cruised to victory in the women’s race in 2:50:41 to lie 15th overall, 18 minutes behind the men’s winners and just over four minutes ahead of Hilary-Jean Pitchford and Jen Hodson (2:55:04).

“I always enjoy racing this part of the Umgeni below the dam,” said Miedema, who has returned from Canada specifically to compete in the Dusi in two weeks’ time.

RESULTS

K1, Men

Open: 1 Ant Stott/ Michael Mbanjwa 2:35:50, 2 Shaun & Ben Biggs 2:35:50, 3 Jacques Theron/ Piers Cruikshanks 2:35:51, 4 Mark & Craig Willment 2:38:29, 5 Nicholas Burden/ Kelvin Trautman 2:38:30, 6 Stuart Clifton/ James Birkett 2:42:00, 7 Glenn Hilliar/ Michael de Villiers 2:45:27, 8 Ken Holden/ Chad Ulansky 2:47:15

K2, U21: 1 Matthew Dean/ Owen Gandar 2:56:42;

U18: 1 Blaine Beresford/ Brett Willson 2:55:55;

Sub-veterans: 1 K Holden/ C Ulansky 2:47:15;

Veterans: 1 Jabu Leslie/ Bradley Gace 3:04:08; Sub-masters: 1 G Hilliar/ M de Villiers 2:45:27

K1: 1 Andrew Birkett 2:43:56, 2 Shadrack Mkhize 3:07:57

K2, Women

Open: 1 Abbey Miedema/ Robyn KIme 2:50:41, 2 Hilary Jean Pitchford/ Jen Hodson 2:55:55

Mixed: 1 Angelique Mulder/ Mark Mulder 3:56:00, 2 Jean Hatfi9eld / Paul Hatfield 3:04:53