Singapore top Asian medal standings at Canoe Marathon Championships

By Les Tan/Red Sports

Marina Bay, October 19-23, 2011 — Singapore took advantage of home territory and a thin field to finish top of the Asian medal standings at the Canoe Marathon Asian Championships. Our canoeists won seven gold, seven silver and two bronze medals for a 16-medal haul. Indonesia (2-1-0) and India (1-3-1) were second and third respectively.

The 19th edition of the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships saw a total participation of 39 nations and a record of 12 Asian nations. This was also the first time that the championships were taking place in Asia.

Hungary finished as the top nation with a 6 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze, 15-medal haul. Spain (3-2-2) and Norway (2-0-0) finished second and third respectively.

The event saw some canoeists complain about the choppy waters caused by passing tourist boats but the International Canoe Federation were pleased with the overall organisation.

“The Singapore Canoe Federation as a first-time host for a world championship has done a good job in organising this event. The Marina Bay right in the heart of the city set against the beautiful cityscape of Singapore is a perfect venue for water sports events like canoeing and kayaking. We have enjoyed Singapore’s wonderful hospitality and hope to return in the near future,” said Istvan Vaskuti, 1st Vice President of the International Canoe Federation who was in Singapore for the World Championships.

The thin Asian field meant some events only had two or three participants.

In the K1 Men Under-23, Singapore’s Poh Chee Kiat and Chew Zhang Jia finished one-two in a field of eight starters.

In the K2 Men Seniors, there was also a one-two Singapore finish in a field of six pairs. Singapore’s Tan Wee Jin and Samuel Wong finished the 30.1km, 7-lap, 7-portage race in first place, clocking 2:29:51, while Lam Weng Ngai and Shawn Lim were second in 2:31:14.

Singapore had two representatives in the masters races held on the first day of the championships. Singapore 2010 Canoe Marathon Masters champion Chua Ghee Soon finished eighth out of nine starters in a time of 2:14:09 in the 40-44 year-old category. His event was won by Matt Blundell of New Zealand in 1:41:56.

Ghee Soon, a physical education teacher at Tampines Junior College, attributed his race completion to the unwavering support he received from his students that had lined up along the grueling portage section.

Dr Marek Tadeusz Michalewicz was the other Singapore masters racer and he competed in the 50-54 age-group category, finishing sixth.

Canoe Marathon Asian Championships Results Downloads

Asian World Championships results (21 Oct 2011)
Asian World Championships results (22 Oct 2011)
Asian World CHampionships results (23 Oct 2011)

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