LUSONGWE ngenothi eliphezulu usuku lokuqala lweDusi Canoe Marathon ngoLwesine, ingqwele yalo mjaho kwabesilisa, u-Andy Birkett, iphuma phambili ihlelwe ezithendeni yinsephe uSbonelo Khwela, olale isibili.
Lo mjaho wokugwedla izikebhe onedumela nogwedlwa izinsuku ezintathu, uqale eBishopstowe Hall, eMgungundlovu, wasongwa eNo.9 Bridge phakathi kwakwaNyavu naKwaXimba.
NgoLwesihlanu ekuseni uzoqala eDusi Bridge usongwe eNanda Dam, bese ngoMgqibelo kubhekwa eBlue Lagoon, eThekwini, okuyilapho uzosongwa khona owamanqamu.
UBirkett ongumpetha ovikela isicoco nosenqobe lo mjaho amahlandla amaningi iminyaka ilandelana, uphume phambili ngesikhathi esingu-01:49:47, elandelwa nguKhwela ngesikhathi esingu-01:50:41, isithathu kwaba nguSandile Mtolo ngesikhathi esingu-01:52:46.
Kwabesifazane, kuphume phambili uChristie MacKenzie ngesikhathi esingu-02:13:28, elandelwa nguNikki Birkett ngesikhathi esingu-02:22:40, isithathu kwaba nguBridgette Hartley ngo-02:24:21.
IDusi yanonyaka ingeyohlobo lwe-K1, lapho umgwedli egwedla ngayedwana. Nyakenye bekuyi-K2 kugwedla ngababili ngokubambisana. Umhlanganiso wadliwa nguBirkett egwedla noMatthew Fenn, isibili kwaba nguMsawenkosi Mtolo obegwedla noKhwela.
Okuqaphelekile emjahweni wosuku lokuqala ukuhlala phambili zibekwa nje ebhandeni kukaBirkett, ongavamile ukusheshe akhombise amaqhinga, kwaze kwabe uyoshaya intambo.
Nakuba luselude ukhalo, njengoba kusasele izinsuku ezimbili ziqede ukudlana imilala, kubukeka kuthembisa kakhulu ngabagwedli abansundu.
Kwabayishumi abaphume phambili kugiye bona kusukela endaweni yesibili kuze kuyoshaya kweyeshumi, ngaphandle kwendawo yesihlanu ethathwe nguMatthew Fenn.
Kanti futhi mncane kakhulu umehluko wesikhathi abashiyane ngaso uBirkett noKhwela, okwenze kubhekwe ngabomvu ukuthi iyozala nkomoni emjahweni wesibili nowokugcina ngoMgqibelo.
Ngo-2023, uMtolo (Msawenkosi) walala isibili kwi-K1, elandela yena uBirkett ezithendeni, nokwenza abhekwe kakhulu amava alo mgwedli ongomunye wabansundu abalokhu beqhubekile nokuqophisana noBirkett, osekhonye isikhathi eside kulo mjaho.