{"id":802,"date":"2014-10-07T11:43:05","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T11:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/?p=802"},"modified":"2014-10-07T11:43:05","modified_gmt":"2014-10-07T11:43:05","slug":"mocke-joins-fellow-world-champs-at-fish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/?p=802","title":{"rendered":"Mock\u00e9 joins fellow World Champs at Fish"},"content":{"rendered":"

New world champion Jasper Mock\u00e9 has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons with an eleventh hour Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon entry, taking the number of recently crowned Marathon World Champions set to take part in this year\u2019s Eastern Cape spectacle to four.<\/p>\n

\"Mock\u00e9<\/a>
Mock\u00e9 Paddling’s Jasper Mock\u00e9 has added his name to the long list of 2014 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships gold medalists, podium finishers and participants set to tackle this year’s Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mock\u00e9 joins fellow senior men\u2019s K2 victor Hank McGregor \u2013 who famously became the first South African to win both the senior men\u2019s K1 and K2 titles at the same ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Oklahoma City, USA less than two weeks ago \u2013 as well as under-18 World Champs Louis Hattingh and Jean van der Westhuyzen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had said there was absolutely no ways I was going to be at the Fish this year but while watching my brother packing the car and hearing everyone talking about going to Cradock, I just had the worst case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) ever and decided I had to go!\u201d described the Mock\u00e9 Paddling athlete just hours before his lift departed Cape Town.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a World Champion might change things a little in other people\u2019s minds but not necessarily for me. It doesn\u2019t make me any more or less capable, I always know I can compete but it is nice having that extra confidence coming off a victory, especially one at an event like a World Champs,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The South African national marathon team did the country proud at this year\u2019s global showcase with the men\u2019s efforts seeing the team become the first non-European nation to win the men\u2019s kayak team award at a Marathon World Champs.<\/p>\n

For five time World Champ McGregor, this year\u2019s Hansa Fish is a golden opportunity to compete for that illusive maiden K1 win at the event to add to his five K2 titles.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are only as good as your last race, so I am fully focused on the Fish!\u201d an enthusiastic McGregor said just a day after arriving back in South Africa. \u201cI got straight off the plane and into my river boat and I am super excited!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally when we get to the finish there is hardly anyone there but with the new reverse order start set to see most paddlers finish ahead of us, I think there will be a fantastic atmosphere and a great vibe at the finish in Cradock at the end of the final stage on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn think quite a few people will also go back to Cradock Weir to see the top guys shooting the weir so I\u2019m really looking forward to getting down to the Fish and enjoying two great days of racing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Four time Dusi winner and former Under-23 Marathon World Champ Andy Birkett (EuroSteel) will however hope his recent inclusion of marathon paddling into his winter calendar will hold him in good stead to go head to head with McGregor as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never done well at the Fish before because up until last year I\u2019ve never really been a winter paddler and so my paddling has been really weak by the time Fish came around each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this has changed a bit now with me racing marathon in the winter and so it would be really cool if I could be in the mix at Fish this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can get a top five I\u2019ll be very happy and if my some miracle I can sneak onto the podium I\u2019ll be very stoked!\u201d said a conservative Birkett.<\/p>\n

Birkett\u2019s Marathon World Champs senior men\u2019s K2 partner and Eastern Cape local Greg Louw is another predicted to feature strongly in the men\u2019s title clash in Cradock this year.<\/p>\n

Louw\u2019s best result previously is a third place and the local star is eager to produce another strong showing in 2014.<\/p>\n

Grant van der Walt (Team Jeep\/Varsity College), whom McGregor has won the past four Hansa Fish K2 titles with, opted out of this year\u2019s Marathon World Champs however his younger brother Brandon (Kayak Racing) did not and he, together with fellow Under-23 Worlds competitor Stu MacLaren, will also be eyeing a highly sought-after top five finish.<\/p>\n

In the women\u2019s race, South African river marathon star Abby Adie (Best 4 Healthcare\/Kayak Centre) partnered Laura O\u2019Donoghue to sixth place in the senior women\u2019s K2 clash at Worlds and returns to South Africa eager to clinch her first Hansa Fish K1 crown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really fit at the moment and I really just hope that I can put together a good race this year because it is a race that I really want to win!\u201d a determined Adie mentioned.<\/p>\n

London Olympic bronze medalist Bridgitte Hartley was the lone South African figure in the senior women\u2019s K1 clash at Worlds however despite having clinched the mixed K3 record in 2012, the sprint sensation has opted not take part in this year\u2019s Fish.<\/p>\n

However Michel\u00e9 Eray, someone who battled it out alongside Hartley in the US, will be on the start line in the women\u2019s clash and the former Plettenberg Bay resident, now residing in Oklahoma City, is looking forward to trying to defend the title she clinched famously in 2012.<\/p>\n

Jenna Ward claimed a career defining third place in the Under-23 women\u2019s World Champs tussle and the determined young star will be hoping to replicate, if not improve on, her podium efforts at this year\u2019s Fish.<\/p>\n

The Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon takes place on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 October 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New world champion Jasper Mock\u00e9 has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons with an eleventh hour Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon entry, taking the number …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"blog_post_layout_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/2014D1JasperMockeSLIDER-150x50.jpg",150,50,true],"full":["https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/2014D1JasperMockeSLIDER.jpg",1050,350,false]},"categories_names":{"2":{"name":"News","link":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/?cat=2"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":807,"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions\/807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishmarathon.org.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}