Following on from his career-best second place finish at the 2023 Dusi Canoe Marathon, Team MyLife’s Msawenkosi Mtolo is eager to increase his winning record at the ONE – The Insurance Solution Non-Stop Dusi to four in a row this Friday when he and long-term Non-Stop partner Thabani Msia take on the challenge.
Mtolo and Thabani Msia have struck up a dominant relationship at the Dusi in a Day with three wins in a row and 2023, and the pair will once again take on the challenge together.
It’s been a memorable season for Mtolo who had a stellar Dusi season which culminated in a runner-up finish at the Dusi, and going into this year’s Non-Stop his confidence levels will be at an all-time high.
“I cannot wait to be on the start line, and I love racing it every year and all the preparation has been done before Dusi, but I know it’s going to be a hard race,” Mtolo said.
“The plan is to win a fourth title in a row, but we will be happy to finish on the podium.
“We don’t really have a formal race plan, but we will try and be at the front from as early as possible, but we know that we can’t push the pace too hard.
“Thabani and I have done so many races together, so our combination works well especially for Non-Stop.”
The water levels at the Dusi were higher than they have been in years and organisers were forced to include compulsory portages for paddlers, with the Non-Stop Dusi paddlers aren’t forced to paddle any rapids so they can portage all the major rapids.
Mtolo came unstuck at Hippo Rapid on day two of the Dusi this year and he’ll think twice about shooting it at the Non-Stop as more rain continues to keep the river levels high.
“I think that the level of the river will drop a little from Dusi, but I haven’t seen the river, so I am not entirely sure.
“If it is the same level as Dusi, because that was big, it’s going to be important to avoid danger because you can swim and break your boat and your race is over.
“We’ll take it as it is and probably take the safer options when we see what the conditions are like.”