Mr Robert Hart, not only a first-year student but a master of Canoeing, participating in many events, representing South Africa:

I started paddling when I was about six or seven years old and started racing competitively around age 11. There are a few different disciplines, sprint, marathon, surfski, slalom, and downriver in Canoeing. I like to race in the sprint, marathon and surf ski disciplines. I represented South Africa (SA) as a junior in the Canoe Marathon from 2016 to 2019. In addition, I represented SA at the Surfski world champs in 2017 and 2019, and I was 4th at the world championships 2019 and won the Junior world champion 2019 title.

In 2020 I obtained a silver medal in Open men for K1 and K2 (single boat and double boat) at the SA Canoe marathon champs. I was also 4th at The Cape Point Challenge, a long-distance surfski race Around the Cape Peninsula.

After training in Denmark for six months in 2020, I competed in Danish, Norwegian and Nordic open canoe marathon champs. In Danish, I obtained the gold medal for Surfski Champs.

This year I was second in u23 at the SA surfski champs and selected to race at the world champs in Lanzarote. At the SA canoe marathon champs, I was second in k1 u23 men, k2 open men, Kenny Rice and second in open men short track; these results secured my selection to race for SA at the World Champs this year, which should be held in Romania. To compete at this level, I train 15 to 20 hours a week.

Mr Hart is a high achiever in Canoeing, we wish him all the best on he’s Physiotherapy and Canoeing career. You make your country and your University proud!