South African paddler Hamish Lovemore delivered a superb double podium at The World Games Chengdu 2025, taking silver in both the men’s K1 short distance (3.4km) and long distance (21.4km) canoe marathon finals at the Xinglong Lake Hubin Arena. Both races were won by Denmark’s Mads Brandt Pedersen after sprint finishes.
Lovemore’s first medal came in Saturday’s K1 short distance final, where he was edged by Pedersen in a photo finish. Pedersen stopped the clock at 13:45.46, with Lovemore just 0.15 seconds back in 13:45.61; Portugal’s José Ramalho took bronze in 14:08.95. Earlier in the day, Lovemore had set the tone by winning his heat in 14:34.74, the fastest qualifying time.
He backed it up on Sunday in the K1 long distance final, again duelling Pedersen deep into the closing stages before the Dane kicked clear. Pedersen won in 1:35:28.44, with Lovemore second in 1:35:39.17 and Ramalho third in 1:36:25.10. The race unfolded over multiple laps and portages on Xinglong Lake, with the lead pair trading pulls for much of the 21.4km before the decisive move.
The short-course silver was South Africa’s first medal of these Games, underlining the 25-year-old Olympian’s standing as one of the sport’s form athletes.
On social media Lovemore posted photos with the caption, “Dreams do come true.” He later reflected on the week in a Team SA video: “Really stoked to end The World Games 2025 in Chengdu with two silver medals… two really tough races. The Danish guy managed to get the win both times, but I’m very, very happy to secure the silver medals. A huge thanks to SASCOC and everyone back home for the support — we felt it over here.”
The medals cap a strong run for Lovemore, the 2022 U23 canoe marathon world champion who has increasingly translated his marathon pedigree onto sprint and multi-sport stages.
Results summary
- Men’s K1 Short Distance (3.4km) — 1) Mads Brandt Pedersen (DEN) 13:45.46; 2) Hamish Lovemore (RSA) 13:45.61 (+0.15); 3) José Ramalho (POR) 14:08.95. Venue: Xinglong Lake Hubin Arena.
- Men’s K1 Long Distance (21.4km) — 1) Pedersen (DEN) 1:35:28.44; 2) Lovemore (RSA) 1:35:39.17 (+10.73); 3) Ramalho (POR) 1:36:25.10. Venue: Xinglong Lake Hubin Arena.
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