Cradock – After a six-year break since their last Fish River Canoe Marathon triumph, Andy Birkett and Greg Louw will be aiming for the SA K2 Championships title once again at the 2023 race starting on 6 October.
The pair won back-to-back Fish K2 titles in 2015 and 2017, and Birkett has dominated the race for the last seven years, winning the event five times across both the K1 and K2 formats.
“It’s been six years since Greg and I last raced, so I am pretty excited to be back in a boat with him,” said Euro Steel’s Birkett.
“Greg and I raced a lot together, but I used to always sit in the front until we raced a Fish in 2015 when Greg sat in the front. We just seem to click with Greg in the front.
“We feel really efficient together in the boat. Saying that, there are a lot of strong combinations at this years race, so I think it’s going to be a tight competitive event.”
The Eastern Cape-based pair have started their build-up to the race with a dress rehearsals on the river recently and it’s whet the appetite of Birkett.
“Greg and I paddled Pre-Fish last weekend and it was great to be back on the river again. I think Pre-Fish made me even more excited for Fish – the river is looking great this year.”
Birkett returned with a silver medal from the recent ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Denmark. The gap between that event and the Fish has traditionally been very short, however this year the events are more spread out which has helped the top athletes prepare for the SA Championships.
“I always feel like Fish two weeks after marathon worlds is a rush and forces you to adjust too quickly to the river and the boat.
“This year, with five weeks after marathon worlds it’s been great to have a little rest and then refocus on preparing for fish.
“A K2 Fish is always full of depth and it should make for some exciting, close racing this year,” Birkett commented.
Paddlers can enter via the Canoeing SA entry portal at https://paddler.canoesa.com/
2 & 3 October 2026