Bester and Pereira Conquer Madeira World Series Opener, Short Race Format Hailed by Paddlers

South Africa's Kira Bester and Portugal's Bernardo Pereira delivered commanding performances to claim victory in the opening leg of the International Canoe Federation Canoe Ocean Racing World Series in Madeira. The duo successfully navigated the challenging Portuguese waters, setting a strong tone for their respective World Cup campaigns. Bernardo Pereira, the reigning men’s U23 world champion and senior world bronze medallist, led a strong contingent of home paddlers. He secured the men’s surfski single gold with a time of 1:15:19.60. France's Marin Lanee was the only non-Portuguese athlete in the top five, finishing second in 1:15:50.07. The bronze medal went to Portugal’s Mateus Ornelas (1:20:04.94), followed by compatriots Joao Santos and Celio Alves in fourth and fifth. Pereira expressed his satisfaction, stating, “We had good downwind for 99 per cent of the race... we had perfect conditions. We had awesome support from the organisers.” In the women's event, reigning world champion Kira Bester proved unstoppable, clinching the SS1 crown in 1:21:29.83. Great Britain’s Rosemary Edwards earned silver with 1:26:30.03, while Portugal’s Carlota Duarte took bronze in 1:40:35.24. South Africa’s Julia Williams and Portugal’s Rafaela Costa completed the top five. Bester lauded the event, saying, “It’s been absolutely amazing here, the community and the logistics have been so, so smooth. The conditions were surprisingly good... we had quite a bit of assistance.” She also highlighted the joy of racing against familiar faces like Edwards and highly recommended the event, planning to return next year. A notable feature of the Madeira program was the introduction of the short race and short race relay, with open category paddlers completing a 5km course at Calheta Bay. This format was widely praised by athletes. Pereira commented, “It was the first time I had participated in the short race and I think it’s good for the public as it is just in front of the beach and everyone…

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