ANDREW Blackburn conquered atrocious weather conditions and a hugely talented field to take top honours at the SA Sprint Canoeing Championships at Roodeplaat Dam outside Pretoria at the weekend. The Pietermaritzburg athlete raced inside the Olympic qualifying standards in the 500 metre K1 final, and the K2 final with Dave Hamilton-Brown. He deservedly took the Victor Ludorum honours. Youngsters were, however, hot on his heels. Young KwaZulu-Natal speedsters Daryl Bartho and Scott Rutherford dominated over 200 metres and finished just behind Blackburn on the Victor Ludorum standings. Eva Thornton dominated the women’s competition by edging out Rory Bohm for the Victrix Ludorum. Albe Robinson took the veterans honours, with Pietermaritzburg stalwart Robert Lembethe taking gold in the masters section.