Australian star canoeist Ben Mercer has confirmed his participation in the Hansa Powerade Fish River Canoe Marathon at the end of the month, after a strong showing in the Avon Descent in August.
Mercer, a member of the Australian national sprint and wild water teams, finished second in the Avon Descent in a ding-dong battle with South African Darryl Bartho.
Mercer is the first member of the interim team to confirm his participation in the race on 30 September and 1 October, from Grassridge Dam to Cradock.
"I am really looking forward to it, it should be a great experience. I know that it will be very competitive, with tough portages and some challenging rapids, weirs and fast flowing water." said Mercer from Western Australia, where he is training for the race.
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| 'I am really looking forward to it' |
Mercer started his paddling career as a lifesaver, paddling skis, from where he joined the Australian Institute of Sports Sprint training squad, and went on to represent Australia at the 2004 Wild Water world championships in Germany.
He is currently the Western Australian champion in single ski, wild water and K2 marathon racing. He won the Avon Descent, a 132km two-day race on the Avon and Swan rivers, in 2001.
Mercer has become friendly with local paddling stars Deon Bruss and Darryl Bartho, and plans to use them to spend quality time on the Fish River ahead of the race to learn its subtleties.
"I am excited about becoming mates with SA blokes and making these races more accessible. They have been great as they are very experienced at this style of racing", he said. He also said that the South Africans, who have won titles on the Avon consistently over the past four years, have started influencing the style of river marathon racing in Australia.
"It has changed the way we set up boats and approach the race as you need to be set up freely otherwise you get left behind", said Mercer.
"Ben has some speed on him, and he is definitely fit", said Darryl Bartho. "On the final day of the Avon this year, he came back from a good few minutes off the pace to prove that he is a fighter and a good endurance paddler. His wild water skills are great, and he could be a factor in the race".
The race gets under way outside Cradock on 30 September. The race office is still taking late entries. - Sapa
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