/ 9 August 2012

SA kayaker Bridgitte Hartley bags bronze

Bridgitte Hartley has won bronze in the K1 500m women's single kayak event at the London Olympics.
Bridgitte Hartley has won bronze in the K1 500m women's single kayak event at the London Olympics.

Hartley crossed the line  at Eton Dorney on Thursday in one minute, 52.923 seconds (1:52.923).

The gold medal went to Danuta Kozak of Hungary who finished in 1:51.456, followed a second later by Ukrainian Inna Osypenko-Radomska in 1:52.685.

Kozak, who was the quickest qualifier by nearly a second, improved on her second-place finishes at the last world championship and the 2012 European championship. It's her second gold of the games, after being part of the 500-meter K-4 team that won on Wednesday.

South Africa now boast three gold medals, one silver and one bronze, and at the time of Hartley's race ranked 20th on the medals table. – Sapa