Saskia won bronze in the K1 junior women’s category in Portugal and the next day, with sister ValmaJean, secured silver for SA
Saskia Hockly, front, and sister ValmaJean won a haul of medals at the Marathon World Championships in Ponte de Lima, Portugal. Picture: CAROYN COOPER
First Saskia, 18, won bronze in the K1 junior women’s category and then, the next day, again jumped into a boat, with 16-year-old sister ValmaJean to seal silver for SA .Take a moment to consider then that she took up paddling less than four years ago and one starts to get an indication of just how far she could go in this demanding sports code.
She then transitioned into flat water kayaking and turned out be a natural. “I did my first Dusi in 2020 with a friend, Georgina Howard, and then last year did my first Dusi in a K1 — was fifth woman overall and first junior.” The sisters had three goals in the K2 event: “To jump on the front bunch, not stuff up the first portage, and then maybe jump onto the podium. So, doing our best sealed both of us a silver medal.Someone who’s already come a very long way in SA paddling is Bridgitte Hartley, who won a canoeing bronze medal on the biggest stage of all, the London Olympics in 2012.
Getting this far sees Saskia giving huge credit to parents Clive and Antje: “Without them, nothing we have achieved would have been possible. The medals that we won are as much theirs as they are ours.” She says her girls were basically born into a watersports environment. “Saskia’s birthday is in late February so most of her early birthdays were celebrated during the Dusi Marathon, spent on the banks of the river or dam with chocolate cake and cupcakes doing the rounds.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Load-shedding is causing water-shedding in parts of JohannesburgLoad-shedding is causing water-shedding in parts of Johannesburg - Rand Water has imposed stage two restrictions to allow Johannesburg Water’s reservoirs to fill up
Read more »
IN PICS: New Joburg mayor asks thirsty residents to be patient amid water crisis | The Citizen📸PICTURES: Newly elected Joburg Mayor Dada Morero promises thirsty residents he is 'working around the clock' to solve the city's water crisis💧See all the pics here:
Read more »
Rand Water implements stage 2 water restrictions in Joburg | The CitizenJohannesburg Water has implemented Rand Water’s stage 2 water restrictions across the City.🚰❌ Waterrestrictions RandWater
Read more »
INFOGRAPHIC: Areas affected by water restrictions in Gauteng - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.INFOGRAPHIC | Stage 2 restriction sees a reduction of 30% of the water supply for Rand Water.
Read more »
South Africa: Day Zero Comes to Parts of Joburg As Water Cuts Roll Through City and Taps Run DryAnalysis - Rand Water doubles water restrictions as city reservoirs run dry -- water cuts are the new load shedding, say residents.
Read more »