Extreme River Rodeo

After a one-hour drive on the bumpy roads to Mjølfjell, the people who showed up were eager to get “their moneys worth” in action. It is safe to say: Nobody left disappointed!

Half way into Veko, it was finally time for the kayakers to compete.

The competition was supposed to take place in Brandsethelva, but was moved to Raundalselva, due to the low water levels at Brandsethelva. It is safe to say that we got enough water!

The competition started out nicely, with 31 men and two women participating in the qualification. Only the 15 best men made it to the finals. And it was a close race.

Leading Lady

In the women’s competition, the race was somewhat less close, as there were only two contestants. Mariann Sæther was alone on the victory podium as Ashley Courtney got disqualified during her first try out.

By the time for the men’s final, the river had grown stronger and was both stronger and faster that it had been just a little while ago. The finalists struggled to get their way down the river. As many as six did not make it out the many surfs and got to cross the finishing line.

One who did was Filippo Brunetti from Italy.  At the individually contest he was the fastest down the river today, and got in to a first position with the total time of 2:12:61.

Difficult River

– It was not an easy race today. There are so many skilled kayakers here. Also the conditions today were extremely hard, the river was very big and there were so many streams. I think it is the hardest river I have ever paddled. 

Even if it is Filippo’s first time in Voss, he is not planning to make it his last, as the travelling trophy is not his to keep unless he is planning to win it for the next two years as well.

– That’s exactly what I’m aiming for Filippo laughs.

Check out the results from the competition here.