KZN#32

Sports
Prato takes his chances perfectly
at third series race
Despite many paddlers racing the KZN Marathon Champs in Pietermaritzburg, a big fi eld enter for the Geriatskis Open Ocean Challenge Surfski Challenge
the third leg of the Bay Union Open Ocean Surfski Challenge series. Lynne Hauptfl eisch/ Gameplan Media
Durban -Under 23
racer Gene Prato took
full advantage of all
his opportunities to notch up
his first win in the Bay Union
Open Ocean Challenge surfski
series on Sunday, holding off a
dogged Bailey De Fondaumiere
in the final stages of the 12km
race.
The 22 year old from Virginia
timed his charge well, knowing
understanding that the absence
of Hank McGregor to surfski
races abroad and several other
big names racing the KZN Marathon
Champs in Pietermaritzburg
meant that he could aim for
a podium finish instead of his
consistent top five finishes in the
series.
Prato (Carbonology/Ocean
Riders Academy) shadowed
Wade Krieger on the outward
bound leg to the turncan off the
Bluff, before he broke away in
the downwind leg with De Fondaumiere.
"I managed to catch a few
good run which gave me a lead,
and tried to keep that gap.
Whenever I eased up Bailey (De
Fondaumiere) would come back
at me so I just had to keep up the
pace all the way," said Prato.
"Even though I realise that
some of the top guys were not
there, I am really stoked to take
the win in the Geriatskis Open
Ocean Challenge," he added.
"We have been consistently
in the top five, so today was a
chance to target the podium,"
concurred De Fondaumiere.
Krieger, who with Steve
Woods and Herman Chalupsky,
chose deeper lines on the return
leg, wrapped up the last spot on
the podium.
With most of the usually
competitive elite women's field
away racing at the regional marathon
champs, Michelle Burn
(Fenn Kayaks), who raced the
K1 marathon champs the day
before, cruised to victory in the
women's race.
It was another successful outing
for the flourishing development
team that is being backed
by the Durban Underwater Club
and its sponsors.
Mhlengi Mngadi raced to his
best result of the series to date,
finishing third in the 6km short
course that was staged within
Durban Bay for safety reasons,
and was the first single home,
with fellow development team
member Ayanda Dube making it
a red letter day for the group by
finishing third single.
The ten youngsters, aged
between 13 and 23 and all hailing
from Umgababa where they
get paddling guidance from
Swehele Ndlovu, joined the
DUC programme after the first
Open Ocean Surfski Challenge
in 2015, and since then they
have progressed rapidly.
After a series of nine intensive
surfski lessons they were
cleared top take part in the first
two races of the
Mngadi came fifth in the first
short course race of the Open
Ocean Surfski Series and Ayanda
Dube 10th. In the second race,
Mngadi came 3rd, Dube 6th and
Ntuthuko Bhalisa 10th.
Recently Bongani Hlope,
the Ward 26 councillor for the
Point took time out to chat with
the group and encourage them
to persevere with their surfski
training.
The final race in the series
is the Geriatskis Open Ocean
Challenge, starting at DUC at
9am next Sunday,30 July.
Kzn Lifestyle Magazine • Issue 32
37