The Australian ski paddling World Cup ended in controversy in Perth on Sunday, with the South African squad questioning the rules applied in the competition scoring. South Africans filled three of the top five berths on the second stage, only to see the overall competition title being awarded to Australia.
The 34km second stage, from Rottnest Island to Sorrento Bay, was won by local ace Nathan Baggaley by a slim fifteen second margin over Herman Chalupsky of Durban. Chalupsky won Saturday’s first leg.
Baggaley and Chalupsky raced side by side throughout the final event, held in mild downwind conditions. ”Nathan got a few extra bumps right at the end and rode them to get ahead right at the finish”, said Chalupsky. Baggaley was named the overall champion of the event.
Dean Gardiner of Australia was third, with South Africans Dawid Mocke and Matthew Boumann filling fourth and fifth places in Sunday’s race.
”I beat Baggaley by thirty seconds on the first race, over 16km, and he then beat me by fifteen seconds over 34km. Surely if one adds the times together, that makes me the overall winner?” asked a disconsolate Chalupsky after the race.
With the prizegiving marred by rain and wind, the hasty presentation ceremony made no mention of how the eventual winners were decided, but crowned Australia the World Cup champions, and Baggaley the overall winner.
The team was told that the deciding result that had swung the event Australia’s way was the twentieth place finish by veteran paddler Shaun Rice, a former South African, who relocated to New Zealand in the 1990s, and has recently moved to Australia.
Chalupsky plans to meet with the race organisers on Monday to iron out their grievances, before the SA flys home. – Sapa