Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:23
Mbanjwa and Cruickshanks front Gauteng challenge
Durban - The Gauteng title challenge in The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon that starts on Thursday 17 February will once again be spearheaded by two seasoned veterans of the race, Piers Cruickshanks and former champion Michael Mbanjwa.
Mbanjwa is widely being tipped as a 2011 winner, and since he relocated to Germiston and started paddling in the colours of Soweto Canoe Club, Mbanjwa's bid for glory could bring the first K1 Dusi champion to Gauteng since Mark Perrow's win in 1997.
His former club mates at the Lembethe Canoe Club at Nagle Dam still fervently claim he is on their team, and will claim whatever position Mbanjwa finishes in as part of their tally. The reality however is that Mbanjwa is flying the flag for Gauteng at this year's race.
Alongside him on the front row of the seeded batch will be another Gauteng paddler who has been a consistent star performer in the tough three day race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, Piers Cruickshanks.
Both Cruickshanks and Mbanjwa brings critical experience to the race, both having completed 12 races in the past. Cruickshanks teamed with his clubmate Jacques Theron to finish sixth in last year's race, after Cruickshanks bagged a solid fourth in the 2009 K1 race, with Jacques Theron grabbing a spot on the podium min 2004 with Len Jenkins.
While he is excited to be racing again this year Cruickshanks has not been able to dedicate as much time to his paddling and running training as he has done in the past. In between his teaching commitments at Kingsmead College, he also has his hands full raising his family and supporting his wife in her studies.
"Phew, it's going to be a tough ask this year, and if I sneak in with a top ten then I will be chuffed," said Cruickshanks with typical modesty, shortlisting the Gauteng gold medallist hopefuls to Mbanjwa, himself and Mike Stewart. If he gets another gold medal this year, it will be his eighth in 13 Dusi starts.
He did however flag a number of eager youngsters like schoolboy rising star Gavin Shuter, and the many eager racers coming through the ranks of the Soweto canoe club as potential Dusi gold medallists.
"It is so exciting to see these guys improving with every outing," said Cruickshanks. "There will be quite a few of them at this year's race, and with time and experience they will be right in the gold medal mix."
The Unlimited Dusi starts on Pietermaritzburg on 17 February and ends in Durban on 19 February.
More information can be found at www.dusi.co.za
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