Today was the selection for the S.A team in the 1000m events. I raced the 1000m K1 and won very comfortably from Cam Schoeman and Mike Mbanjwa. It was a photo finnish for 2nd and 3rd, but I was almost 8 seconds clear. I am satisfied with my race considering it was the first race of the season.
The 1000m K2 was won by Ant Stott and Mike Arthur. This is a new combo, formed from last years K4, and they looked really good together. They also won comfortably and have shown real potential for the season ahead. Tomorrow we are raceing the 500m events. There will be a stronger field in the K1 race so I look forward to a bit more competition than today. The girls K1 race is heating up and I think this will be the most exciting race of the day with 5 potential winners on the start line.
We have left Port Edward and we are currently training for our selection in Pietermaritzburg. One of my best friends, Michael Mbanjwa, grew up in the surrrounding area of Nagel dam, our training and racing venue for this week. After our morning sesion I went with Mike to his house to visit his mom and the rest of his family still staying there.
The whole experience was really wonderfull and I realised how amazing it is that Mike and I are such close friends. I was brought up in the heart of the city, while Mike had a completely rural upbringing, living in a house made from mud and no electricity or running water. We spent our time chatting, feeding and trying to catch the chickens, eating bannanas from the tree and just relaxing without the buzz of everyday urban life.
The new edition of Sports Illustrated magazine is out and there is a 2 page profile of me. The article is really good and there are some great pictures.
Training has been good this week and with one and a half weeks till the trial, I am starting to get excited to race again. The sea has calmed down and everything is back to normal round here.
