Roodepoorters deliver at World Champs in Canada
David and partner finish 3rd in 200m K2 race and 12th in the world.
Two canoeists from Roodepoort faired relatively well after participating in the ICF Junior U/18 and U/23 Canoe Sprint World Championships held in Welland, Ontario in Canada from 1 to 4 August.
Representing South Africa in the U/23 section was David Rodriguez from Randpark Ridge who attends Maragon High School. Representing his country as K1 and K2 canoeist in three disciplines namely the 1 000m, 500m, 200m David achieved a best position of third place in the B-final of the 200m K2 race along with partner Cameron Hudson from KwaZulu-Natal. The pair crossed also crossed the finish line in a speedy time of 35 seconds – an overall ranking of 12th on the world sprint junior log.
Another achiever from Roodepoort is Dugan Afonso from Discovery who attends Victory House Private School.
Dugan who represented the K4 team of South Africa in the U/18 age category managed to finish 9th in a time of three minutes and 23 seconds in the 1 000m. Dugan however, had a tough time in the water individually as he only managed to finish the K1 final in 8th place and in time of four minutes and 17 seconds.
According to Jennie Dallas, spokesperson of the Florida Lake Canoe Club (FLCC), “Dugan’s health might have played a part in his performance in the K1 race as he fell ill in the days leading up to the travel and did not have sufficient time to recover.
“The experience he picked up in this international competition, however, is invaluable”.
