Several medallists at the 2013 World Student Games will be in action at the annual Mutual & Federal Universities Boat Race in Port Alfred this weekend.
Several medallists at the 2013 World Student Games will be in action at the annual Mutual & Federal Universities Boat Race in Port Alfred this weekend.
Action began on Thursday 5 September at event on the Kowie River, with Rhodes University well represented.
Various heads races took place yesterday and there was a formal dinner last night. The action continues until Saturday afternoon.
At the recent international event in Russia, Kirsten McCann and Kate Christowitz clinched gold and silver medals respectively. They will be in the crew for the University of Johannesburg. Silver medallist Cath Stark will be part of the University of Cape Town team.
Boat race sponsors, Mutual & Federal highlighted the impact the students' success in Russia has had on the Port Alfred regatta.
In a statement Sean Kerr, trustee of the company's University Rowing project, said, “We are proud that, once again, university rowers continued to fly the South African flag high outside the country.”
David Hunt, who won gold in the men’s U23 coxless pair and Gavin Kilpatrick and Willie Morgan, who took bronze in the Legs Trunk and Arms coxed fours at Senior World Championships, will also be displaying their skills on the Kowie River.
The Mutual & Federal Universities Boat Race is a contest between South African university rowing teams who compete in a series of crew-versus-crew duels in the men’s and women’s categories. In recent years, it has also been used as a platform to groom novice rowers for the mainstream events.
“The novice category of the race is important in that it encourages people to try rowing and we are particularly proud of the impact it’s had on the development of rowing,” said Pascal Pau, Mutual & Federal’s Regional Manager for the East Coast, in the statement.
According to Kerr, university clubs have also started making use of the internet and other digital media to encourage students to take up indoor rowing.
The nine universities participating are Johannesburg, Pretoria, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, Rhodes, Wits, Fort Hare and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan.
Friday's action runs from 12.30pm to 4.30pm with the B and C finals, before Rhodes staff take on University of Johannesburg staff at 4.30pm.
On Saturday 7 September the action starts from 9.40am with the finals. The women's A 1 and 2 final takes place at 2.40pm and the men's 1 and 2 A final at 3.20pm.
Rhodes has entered both men’s and women's A and B teams.
