A high-risk gamble paid handsome dividends for Jacques Theron and Len Jenkins as they became the new South African K2 champions on Sunday.
After having battled in the sprint at the end of the first stage of the 80km course on the Breede River between Robertson and Swellendam, they decided overnight to swop. And with Theron in the front of the kayak for the first time, they overcame their rivals during Sunday's thrilling final stage.
Theron and Jenkins were first across the line after a three-way tussle for control of the two-day Breede River canoe marathon that doubled as the SA K2 championships.
They edged out overnight leaders Ant Stott and Graeme Solomon by 0.03sec, with Stellenbosch siblings Chris and Gert van Deventer a further 0.02sec back.
"We couldn't work out why we had been beaten so badly in the sprint at the end of the first stage, so we decided to gamble by changing places," Theron said.
"By the halfway stage (Sunday), we were starting to click and we realised we had what it would take to win."
The decisive tactical moment came at the Swellendam weir, which had decided the outcome of last year's race. "We realised we had to get over first," said Theron.
Below the weir, they spearheaded the leading bunch of four pairs through a technical series of channels before kicking into top gear over the final 2km of flat water to the finish.
"It feels great to win, because the standard of the competition was so high. Ant and Graeme are going really, really well, and I am sure they will have a great race at the world marathon championships (in three weeks' time)," said Jenkins.
The women's race was just as competitive at the front. Alexa Lombard and Nicky Mocke raced neck and neck with Abbey Miedema and Kim Rew until disaster struck the latter combination at the Waterfall rapid, the biggest obstacle on the course.
Miedema and Rew misjudged it and capsized, giving Lombard and Mocke the gap they needed to streak away to victory.
Juniors Zaren Courtney and Simon van Gyssen added another title to Western Province's impressive haul by finishing 12th overall to win the boys' race from KwaZulu-Natal contenders Jonno Biggs and Craig Mustard.
Province comfortably won the team competition.
