4 Dihlabeng Slalom Club members, Lindelani Ngidi, Siboniso Cele, Sibusiso Ngidi and Cameron McIntosh all went down to the Fish Canoe Marathon to race and tell people all about our Olympic expereience.
We had a DVD and could show off Pepto Pro products to all the paddlers. There was lots of interest and we all enjoyed it very much
September’s edition of “Aquatic Fanatic” has some excellent coverage of us at the Olympics. The broadcast times are as follows:
Wednesday 03 September 2008
SS6 21:00 – 22:00 (Premier)
Thursday 04 September 2008
SS2/SS2A 16:00 – 17:00
Friday 05 September 2008
SS2/SS2A 08:30 – 09:30
Saturday 06 September 2008
SS5/SS5A 23:00 – 00:00
Sunday 07 September 2008
SS6 17:00 – 18:00
I’m going to be live in the eTV studio’s down in Cape Town just now. It will be aired at 14h20 on the 24 hour eTV new channel (Channel 403 on DSTV) and probably again in the Prime Time News at 7pm
I’ve just uploaded a whole lot of photo’s from the race. I’m hoping to get some video up soon.
Been spending some time with Shaun Ruby (Out K1 Flat-Water Sprinter) today and he’s in a good zone. Excited but relaxed at the same time and a quiet confidence that is good to see. He starts on Monday.
We are off to watch Athletics tonight in the Birdsnest and then fly back to South Africa tomorrow night
It is quite strange how after so many years of training the Olympics is over. Yesterday still seems as though it has not yet happened but it has!
Today the heavens opened just after the C2 Semi’s and the K1L and C2 Finals have been postponed until tomorrow. As things look now the CZE, GER and SVK boats are far ahead of the rest of the field so we have to wait and see what happens tomorrow!!!!
My stomach is bloated with Big Macs as I write this!
There are three races that stand out in my memory. The 1st one was in 1998 when I won SA Champs for the 1st time on the Bushman’s river. It was a huge mental boost for me especially because it was such a close tussle between myself and Guy Collyer. The second was my K1 race at Africa Champs in January when I had one of my best runs but got beaten by Benjamin Boukpeti from Togo who went on to win yesterday’s Bronze. And then today will be a day I will remember for the rest of my life.
It was bizarre to think that after 13 years of trying here Cyp and I were lining up for the Olympic Games. The sacrifices that have gone into this just seemed to pale away as we went up the conveyor belt and all of a sudden were surrounded by 12 000 screaming spectators and TV Camera’s all over the place. I was quite calm in the circumstances and fortunately time ticked by quickly and we got the signal to go.
We just didn’t hit the lines and click in our 1st run. There were so many mistakes and we reached the finish thinking that was not what we were capable of. So it was just going to come down to a good second run…
Now Cyp and I changed positions in February this year with me going to the back and him moving to the front. It took us 2 weeks before we could remotely paddle in a straight line on flat water! In the 2nd run it just clicked. We hit each line perfectly and got to the end knowing that was the best run we had ever had. In gate 13 we made a small mistake and missed the gate by a fraction but it still doesn’t take this fact away: Our 2nd run time would easily have put us into the semi-final. That fact gives me greater satisfaction than I have had in 20 years of paddling.
Bring on 2012
If you want to see photo’s click here
Benjamin Boukpeti, who paddles for TOGO, and is an AmaDonsaDonsa Team member had the race of his life this afternoon and won the Bronze Medal. We are SO proud of Ben and the super amazing result! It is a HUGE boost for slalom in Africa!!!! WELL DONE BEN!!!!!!
We have just got back from the slalom. It is absolutely incredible that Benjamin won. He was a BEAST on the course and ripped it to shreds. I must say having lost to him at the Africa Champs I actually feel pretty cool about losing to an Olympic Medallist!!!
He was leading the 1st run and in the 2nd run had a stormer but it was just not good enough to beat the German, Alex Grim. Alex has a head of titanium when it comes to the big events and his second run was awesome. He is probably physically the biggest paddler and just blew everyone away including Ben who has no problem to do reps with 130kgs on the Bench!
The atmosphere was superb. Martikan in the C1 won the Gold again after having taken it in Atlanta when he was 17 and then getting silver twice in Sydney and Athens. This time he touched in BOTH his runs but still won by 2 seconds!!!
Anyway I’m going to rest now, we have our race tomorrow
Cam
“Master” Cele salvages pride on Olympic debut
Beijing - Beijing, China – Siboniso “Master” Cele bounced back from a nerve-hampered first run to post an impressive second run on the first day of the Olympic C1 slalom competition, but failed to make the cut for the semi-finals.
A gutted Cele had to twice Eskimo roll his canoe after capsizing in the white water of the Shunyi slalom course, and in the process of righting his craft for the second time he missed gate 16, and incurred a 50 second penalty that effectively ended his Olympic dream.
“I had already rolled once (in the tough Dragons Mouth drop) and when I came down to the big drop my paddle touched the side of the canal, which unbalanced me and I fell to the off-side, I rolled up as fast as I could but I went under the gate upside down, which is an automatic fifty second penalty.”
With just his pride at stake Cele set off on his second run far more confidently, and completed a clear run in a time that reaffirmed his potential to make the semi-final cut.
The likeable youngster from the Dihlabeng club outside Bethlehem was placed under huge pressure as he was the first paddler to enter the packed Shunyi stadium, where the expectant massive crowd created a charged atmosphere.
“After that first run I felt like I wanted to kill myself,” said Cele. “But it is a race, and I had to get it all back together and try to do the best that I could do in the final run, to prove what I am capable of.”
Cele has every right to feel disappointed, as the times he posted would have given a good chance at making the semi-final cut. “That’s what makes it so frustrating,” he added. “looking at all my split times I know I was capable of making the semis.”
Cele is determined to take his Olympic experience and use it to fuel the passion of the youngsters that he coaches at the Dihlabeng township in the Free State. Despite his disappointment, he was aware of the of the impact that his role as an Olympian would have on that training programme.
“Globally it looks so bright,” he enthused. “I want the kids in our club to use today to inspire them to train even harder, and one day top race at the Olympics. For me personally I see this just as the first step to my goal for the next Olympics in 2012,” he added.
END
OK so the race we have spent 5 years (Me more like 15!) preparing for is about to take place. This is probably the last blog for the next few days. We are all feeling good on the water and look forward to having the best race of our lives. Our schedule over the next couple days is as follows:
Sunday 10 August:
Training in morning, Demonstration runs at midday, afternoon free
Monday 11 August:
Siboniso’s 1st run is at 15h00 and his second at 16h52 (All in Beijing Time which is 6 hours ahead of South Africa)
Tuesday 12 August:
Semi-finals at 15h00 and Finals at 16h47 for K1M and C1
Wednesday 13 August:
Cyp and My 1st run is at 15h00 and our second at 16h42
Thursday 14 August:
Semi-finals at 15h00 and Finals at 16h47 for C2 and K1L
WOW, WOW, WOW what an experience. It was simply incredible. I can’t capture what it was like in words so just go to this link and have a look at the photo’s we’ve uploaded.
You can also have a look at a Video by clicking here
