Masters Racing 2023: World Canoe Marathon Championships Report
Jel, Denmark, 28th August & 29th August 2023
This year the British Masters Team was made up of 34 paddlers, even bigger than the 30 paddlers we had in Portugal in 2022. The growth doesn’t seem to be just for our team either! The number of paddlers entered and racing was far bigger than in most of the recent World Masters Championships, with many of the starts having over 30 paddlers on the start line and causing some very intense racing!
Similar to last year when Denmark hosted the European Championships, the weather was un-predictable. Monday was windy and Tuesday was rainy, with short sharp showers in the afternoon.
As typical, the Monday was dedicated to the K1 races and we soon showed that our strength was not only in numbers. Brian Greenham (Reading Canoe Club) got the Gold in the Men’s 70 -74 K1 with Gilbert Speirs (Linlithgow Kayak Racing) winning the bronze medal.
Not to be out-done, Edgar Boehm (Reading Canoe Club) got the Bronze in the Men’s K1 45-59 category.
Tuesday saw the K2 and C2 races. Edgar Boehm (Reading Canoe Club) and Juan Abellanas (Barking & Dagenham Canoe Club) showed the way with a gold medal in the 35-39 Men’s K2 race after a dominant performance.
Our team was made up of some experienced British Masters paddlers and boosted by some of our International novice paddlers who showed that they were equal to the challenge. We were honoured to have Ivan Lawler (Elmbridge Canoe Club) join us on the water as well, when his commentating duties permitted.
Full results
Men’s K1 65-69:
- 15th – Derek Marshall (Linlithgow Kayak Racers)
- 18th – Peter Gorman (Wey Kayak Club)
- 21st – Kenneth Fraser (Independent)
- 27th – Bryn Price (Maidstone Canoe Club)
Men’s K1 70-74:
- 1st – Brian Greenham (Reading Canoe Club)
- 3rd – Gilbert Speirs (Linlithgow Kayak Racers)
- 18th – Gordon Bullock (Barking & Dagenham Canoe Club)
Men’s K1 75-79:
- 8th – Robert Scholey (Chester Canoe Club)
Women’s K1 65-69:
- 10th – Jane Millar (Nottingham Kayak Club)
Men’s K1 35-39:
- 6th – Juan Caruncho (Barking & Dagenham Canoe Club)
Men’s K1 55-59:
- 15th – Onno Bokhove (Cambridge Canoe Club)
- 27th – Calum Urquhart (Nairn Canoe Club)
- 28th – Donald Gardner (Linlithgow Kayak Racers)
Men’s K1 45-49:
- 3rd – Edgar Boehm (Reading Canoe Club)
Men’s K1 60-64:
- 20th – Mark Blatchly (Nottingham Kayak Club)
Women’s K1 45-49:
- 7th – Gina Moullec (Gloucester Canoe Club)
Women’s K1 50-59:
- 10th – Kelly Barkway (Broadland Paddle Sport)
Men’s K2 65-69:
- 5th – Brian Greenham (Reading Canoe Club) & Peter Gorman (Wey Kayak Club)
- 6th – Kenneth Fraser (Independent) & Gilbert Speirs (Linlithgow Kayak Racers)
- 12th – Andy Nevitt (Worcester Canoe Club) & Julian Gilbert (Worcester Canoe Club)
Women’s K2 45-49:
- 4th – Gina Moullec (Gloucester Canoe Club) & Emma Watts (Wey Kayak Club)
Women’s K2 50-54:
- 7th – Kelly Barkway (Broadland Paddle Sport) & Caroline Banson (Broadland Paddle Sport)
Men’s K2 35-39:
- 1st – Juan Caruncho (Barking & Dagenham Canoe Club) & Edgar Boehm (Reading Canoe Club)
Men’s K2 55-59:
- 7th – Simon Derham (Runcorn Canoe Club) & Ono Bokhove (Cambridge Canoe Club)
- 9th – Calum Urquhart (Nairn Canoe Club) & Mark Blatchly (Nottingham Kayak Club)
- 10th – Donald Gardner (Linlithgow Kayak Racers) & Derek Marshall (Linlithgow Kayak Racers)
Mixed K2 65+:
- 4th – Brian Greenham (Reading Canoe Club) & Ann Green (Australia)
- 8th – Bryn Price (Maidstone Canoe Club) & Jane Millar (Nottingham Kayak Club)
Thank you to Bryn Price for his help in putting this report together. We look forward to hearing all about the Master’s adventures in the 2024 season next year.