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Gauteng Schools Rowing Championships

| Boys’ College, Campus

Our Saints rowers competed at the Gauteng Schools Rowing Championships at Roodeplaat Dam. Through highs and lows, the Saints rowers gave it their all and produced some impressive results at this first major championship event of the season.

Competing against some of the province’s strongest schools, the Saints rowers demonstrated grit, teamwork, and remarkable depth across all age groups, setting a positive tone for the season ahead.

The newest members of the Saints Rowing Club, the incoming Grade 8 rowers, made an immediate impact, earning a bronze medal in the U14 Octuples after a thrilling finish that saw them narrowly edged out of silver by St John’s College. Their medal marks a promising start to their Saints rowing journey.

It was a regatta of tight margins and some hard lessons for our U15s, in the highly competitive quads event, our ‘A’ quad had to come from the back of the field to take 4th place as 5 crews finished within 3 seconds of each other. In the Octuples final, our crew finished in 5th position after another closely fought race.

The U16 squad had an excellent regatta, securing three gold medals across different boat classes.

  • Single Scull: Hugo Price-Hughes powered to victory.
  • Coxless Four: Ethan Waldeck-Cooks, Grant Roberts, Hugo Price-Hughes, and Dylan Laburn dominated their race.
  • Eight: The crew of Kilermo Ben, Ethan Waldeck-Cooks, Grant Roberts, Hugo Price-Hughes, Dylan Laburn, Owen Little, Sebastian Budnik, Donald Kaija, and Thomas Varley delivered a commanding performance to claim gold.

The squad’s depth was evident throughout the regatta with several other crews making their finals and performing strongly. A special mention to Sebastian Budnik on making the final and finishing 6th on his debut in the single scull, a 4th and 7th places in the pair and coxed four and a 7th place for the Quad also underlined the squad’s strength and depth.

The Open squad opened their campaign with two pairs qualifying for the finals. Daniel Pearse and Jonathan Tunmer rowed superbly to take bronze, while Kai Kappler and Luke Duffin secured 5th place.

Saturday’s Coxed Four final brought one of the weekend’s closest contests, as Jaetan Moodley, Duffin, Kappler, Tunmer, and Pearse battled stroke for stroke with St John’s before finishing second by the narrowest of margins.

In the regatta’s final event, the prestigious 1st Eights race, Saints showed resilience and tenacity, holding off a fierce challenge from KES to secure 3rd place, closing fast on St John’s in second.

This was an exceptional early-season performance across all squads. The boys showed incredible spirit, composure under pressure, and a deep commitment to their crews, qualities that bode well for the season ahead.

With momentum building and medals already in hand, the Saints rowers have set the bar high as they prepare for upcoming regattas on the national circuit.

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