Friday, 09 July 2010 13:04
McGregor sets sights on seventh Berg title
Defending champion Hank McGregor returns to Paarl next week to set about the defence of his Windhoek Berg River Canoe marathon, and in the process bids to become the most successful athlete ever in the race’s 49 year history.
McGregor has won the Windhoek Berg six times, equalling the race record set by the nineties “King of the Berg” Robbie Herreveld. His first victory came in 2000, before starting his unbroken five year dominance in 2005.
Ominously for his challengers McGregor is feeling fresher and more enthusiastic for the 228km race from Paarl to Velddrif than has been for a long time, and points out that his calendar is far less crowded than it has been for many years.
“I’ve had a really, really good build-up to the Windhoek Berg, much better than the last few years,” said McGregor. “I have been able to get in good mileage and come in to the race rested and ready.”
Last year McGregor jetted in just in time to make the time trial, after the Mauritius and then Dunlop Surf Ski World Cups, but he still managed to battle past the local challengers to claim his record equalling sixth title.
The FIFA Soccer World Cup forced the Dunlop Surfski World Cup into May, which McGregor raced under-prepared, following a controversial three month suspension imposed by Canoeing South Africa after a punching incident with Jacques Theron at the Umkomaas marathon.
McGregor took some time to get back into full training, but the net effect is that the 32-year-old Durbanite will be looking a fresh and eager starter at Market Street bridge in Paarl next Wednesday morning.
“It looks like the river is going to be at medium level, which is exactly what I want,” McGregor added. “If it floods then it opens up all the channels that favour the local guys who have done plenty of tripping and research. At a medium level the river is far more predictable.”
McGregor has also buried the hatchet with the race bosses, after a clash with the organisers on the final stage of the race last year that involved allegations and counter allegations of paddlers taking illegal lines down the flooded Berg river estuary. McGregor, like a number of other elite paddlers, was slapped with time penalties, but still walked away with his record-equalling victory.
“That’s why I don’t want flood conditions again, because the rules become very blurred and tricky to apply,” said McGregor. “Luckily I was good enough to be able to win the race despite the penalties. Hopefully everyone learnt something from what happened last year.”
While McGregor stands on the brink of an historic seventh victory in the famous race, he is adamant that he is not thinking about that milestone.
“If you start thinking about the podium before the race, it will come back and bite you,” says McGregor. “There is so much that can happen on each day of the race that you have to take it one step at a time.”
The Windhoek Berg River Canoe Marathon takes place for 14 to 17 July, and will be preceded by a time trials for 100 invited athletes on Tuesday 13 July.
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