Dusi article at Spanish Canoeing Federation Magazine "Aguas Vivas"

Yesterday it was published by the Spanish Canoeing Federation an article by Elite Kayak writer Gonzalo Melero about Dusi Canoe Marathon. We will be collaborating with the Magazine Aguas Vivas from now on writing about the big international events, showing them to Spanish paddlers and kayak lovers, who sometimes are not very familiar with those races abroad.

Here's a link to the magazine in Spanish: Aguas Vivas (article in page 38 and following).

And this is the English translation:

It is a quiet October evening, with the warm austral spring just started. The city of Pietermaritzburg, in the state of Kwazulu-Natal (South Africa), invites you to walk its extensive parks filled with the bright violet of jacaranda flowers. Children play, couples talk in the shade of a palm tree, a man with briefcase loosens his tie while walking slowly back home and two elderly men in a bank see time going by without major concern... and in the middle of this bucolic scene, two guys pass running at full speed with a K2 on shoulders. No one bats an eye. But we, foreigners, tend to stay staring them with incredulity and then think that the problem is that they are late to store the kayak at the hangar in Camps Drift, Natal Canoe Club headquarters, just a few hundred meters away. "No, they are training for Dusi," says one of the locals.

Sprint World Cup 2 in Racice (CZE) pops up promising top paddlers

Racice (CZE) held the second Sprint World Cup 2013 last weekend. It was confirmed back on track the best Ken Wallace, who seems in this 2013 willing to make everyone forget last season. He won the 500 with conviction and in 1000, with Poulsen winner and Yurenia again in silver, the Australian starred in one of the comebacks of the Cup, going in the last meters from 7th to 3th place with a final quarter of 49 seconds, leaving Hoff at the gates of podium.

In K2 200 a new victory of the unbeatable (so far this year) Postrigay and Dyachenko, who day after day recruit new fans in love with their absolute mastery on this race. However, the 500 is still a bit long distance for them and, after a very quick first partial, they finished second on overpassed by the Portuguese Pimenta and Silva, who are performing at a high level after last summer's Olympic silver.

Lisa Carrington (NZL). Photo: Balint Vekassy

In the women's K1, Lisa Carrington ruled the short races. It seems that paddlers from the Southern Hemisphere are in better shape due to their high season during the European winter, because although Carrington took the 200 as expected, also dominated the 500 over the Germans. It is also true that on this occasion the Hungarian team was not racing in Racice and that could be felt in some of the races, as Hungarian Women always are in the bets for the medals.

But now we can focus more on new values ​​who are slowly looming on the international scene.

Spanish Marathon trials decided the team to compete at the Europeans in Portugal

David Rodriguez Dorado and Jorge Alonso will compete along with Emilio Merchán and Iván Alonso in the K2 Spanish Senior team for the European Marathon Championships to be held in Portugal in the first week of June. Meanwhile, Emilio Merchán will also join his K2 partner Iván Alonso in the K1.

After the selective trials held this weekend in Zamora, due to cancellation of Spanish Cup last April, which had toe served as a selection test, some of the best Spanish marathon paddlers competed for the remaining sopots in the team. Remember that the world champions of the past 2012 in Rome and the square had acquired the spot in property, so Iván Alonso, both in K1 and K2 with Merchán, Eva Barrios in the Women Senior K1 (due to her change of category this year), Antonio Campos in Senior C1 and the C2 couple Graña-Ferro left just one spot in play at these trials.

In the K1 race, 5 contestants which formed a compact group: Emilio Merchán, Xabier Ruiz de Aretxabaleta, David R. Dorado and Borja Estomba did the full marathon together, while Vicente Tortajada could not complete it. The victory went to Merchán in a close sprint against Aretxabaleta, who was again just one second away from the national team, as it happened two weeks ago in the 5,000 meters. A true pity for the brave paddler from San Sebastián, who surely will keep on trying. Just a few seconds behind, David R. Dorado got the third place over Borja Estomba.

Sprint World Cup 1 at Szeged started the Sprint international season

Postrigay and Dyachenko. Source: Planet Canoe TV

May is the month of the Sprint World Cups, which this year are held, consecutively, in Szeged (HUN), Racice (CZE) and Poznan (POL).

After the first Cup in Szeged last weekend, many new names in the preliminary series, as we're in a post-Olympic year in which many of the stars are given a break and federations (most, but unfortunately not all ...) provide an opportunity for young talents to be get experienced in major international competitions.

In many races victories of the favorites, including the amazing couple of Postrigay and Dyachenko in the K2 200 men, the Russian pair who wowed us all getting gold at London 2012 with a real display of power and in this 2013 seem to behave the same way. Only 24 and 22 years old, respectively, which seem to augur an Olympic cycle where they will be the couple to beat.


Max Hoff won the K1 1,000 over a strong field who included Yurenia and Poulsen, silver and bronze in that order. Ken Wallace did not have his best day, sixth, but the Australian took revenge the best possible way in the 500, winning in his preferred distance with a final comeback "Wallace Trademark", entering the photo finish ahead of Hungarian Dombvári, who, along with the Czech Havel, bronze, took advantage of Poulsen's collapse in the final meters.
 

New values Cooper, Arévalo and Toro start to claim a main role at Spanish Sprint trials

Marcus Cooper. Photo: Fotoyos

After the dispute last weekend of national trials and Spanish Cup over 200 and 500 metres, teams that will represent us in the European and World Championships this year are taking shape.

Although we can not speak of being many surprises, it is true that we are gradually witnessing a generational change which is always healthy and invigorating, ensuring a continuity that, well managed, should consolidate our position on the international podiums.

In the K1 200 trial, thrilling duel between Saúl Craviotto and Carlos Arévalo. The latter began with a good start winning the first leg out of three, but the current Olympic medalist reacted forcing the tie in a photo finish second leg. In the third and final leg, and with only Arévalo and Craviotto on the venue, Craviotto won by inches, preserving the spot for the national team in this discipline.

South Africans rule at the Eurochallenge

Left to right: Sean Rice, Dawid Mocke and Jasper Mocke

This past weekend was held at Villajoyosa (Spain) the Eurochallenge 2013 of surfski. Crowded field, but it was missed some more foreign participation, which in previous years had been abundant. Anyway, that foreign participation was of very high quality, as evidenced by the podium conquered by South African stars, all of them from Fish Hoek, Sean Rice, Dawid Mocke and Jasper Mocke.

That was the order in both races, the downwind North course on Saturday, of the two prepared depending on weather conditions. 20 kilometer run in line along the coast heading Southwest and finishing in Villajoyosa. And the classical race on Sunday.

Sean Rice, recent winner of the South African trials, both in 1,000 meters and surfski, stood alone doing much of the race at the downwind. As recognized after by Dawid Mocke, trying to follow him was a ticket to get sore muscles. Rice got a three minutes advantage over Dawid Mocke and five over Jasper. Walter Bouzán came in fourth place very closed to Jasper Mocke and heading the European field, where the Dutchman Joep van Bakel was fifth and Daniel Sanchez Viloria, who arrived as second Spanish, added himself to Walter in the list of our representatives in the Surfski World Championships to be held this coming July in Portugal.

Sean Rice and Michelle Eder Burn, new South African Surfski Champions

It was held last weekend the South African Surfski Championships, this time in the town of East London, where the warm waters of the Indic Ocean didn't show the downwind all the competitors usually love to paddle. Sean Rice, just two weeks after winning the K1 1,000 of the South African sprint trials, was the winner of the event and then he becomes South African surfski champion, something that, in his words, had been dreaming for a long time.

Good weather with weak wind made the race hard and very tactical, disputed parallel to the coast along 19 km. The virtual absence of large swells made a matter of vital importance seeking the more favorable currents. The fact of the recent floods in the area made the race even more difficult, since in the search for the good current, many of them were caused by big water rivers and dragged branches and lots of stuff that could become a serious obstacle.

After the start, marked by the absence of the Mocke brothers, who were disputing the Defis Kayak Race in the French Caribbean ($7,000 prize for the winner had something to do with it), the leading group was formed by several strong men of the scene South Africa, including Hank McGregor, Grant van der Walt, his brother Brandon, Matt Bouman, Tom Schilperoort and Sean Rice.

César de Cesare, main character at the Southamerican Sprint Championships in Chile

César de Cesare at the London 2012 Olympics.

After the Canoeing South American Championship, held last week in the Chilean city of Valparaiso, South American national federations have been able to configure their teams in preparation for the upcoming World Cups. With the absence of Argentines Correa and Rezola, already preparing World Cups and World Championship, wanting to improve this year the magnificent 5th place from London 2012, the star was undoubtedly the Ecuatorian César de Cesare, who won with authority K1 200 final (sadly with just 4 participants) and repeating the gold medal in the K2 with Yautung Cueva.

De Cesare is attempting this year to forget the bad taste left after not being in the London Olympic final as everybody expected, where he could only manage to become fourth in the B final. He certainly has his eyes on the World Championships at Duisburg in August, where he will try to get back into the A final and who knows if claiming a medal.