Camps Bay High School Grade 9 learner, Holly Smith from Hout Bay, earned herself two Gold Medals at the WP K1/K2 Marathon Championships hosted by her club, Peninsula Canoe Club in Lakeside on 8th and 9th May.

Holly came first in the U16 division for K1-singles in a time of 1.32 for 17km, and together with her new partner, Georgia Singe from the Mocke Squad in Fish Hoek, also finished in first place in the K2-doubles in a time of 1.25 for 17km.

The WP K1/K2 Marathon Championships is a great opportunity for paddlers to fine tune their portages and timing for the SA Marathon Championships which will be held at Holly’s home club, Peninsula Canoe Club based at the Zandvlei estuary, from 21 to 23 May 2021 where she will be racing against most of the girls from SA Ski Champs as well as girls from Johannesburg. The country’s finest paddlers will be out in full force at this event as the Protea Team selected to represent South Africa in Romania will be chosen from this group of paddlers. Members of the public are invited to come and watch the championships from the Peninsula Canoe Club.

Said Camps Bay High School’s Head of Sport, Ms Busi Ngcwama, “We are incredibly proud of Holly. She trains almost every morning and every evening putting in many hours on the water to ensure that she is amongst the best paddlers in the country. We will be behind her all the way at the SA Champs on 21 to 23 May and hope some of her school friends will be there to support her.”