Rising star Nzimande looking to make progress at Drak Challenge

Khumbulani Nzimande is hoping to replicate his 2020 Drak Challenge form when he takes on the 2022 edition of the race from 29-30 January

Team MyLife's Khumbulani Nzimande in action in Glenhaven Rapid. He is aiming to improve on his fifth place finish when he races the 2022 N3TC Drak Challenge in partnership with FNB on 29 and 30 January. Photo: Antony Grote/ Gameplan Media

Following his top-five finish in the last edition of the Drak Challenge Khumbulani Nzimande is hoping to replicate that form when he takes on the 2022 edition of the race from 29-30 January.

Nzimande blitzed to the second-fastest day two time in 2020 which sounded serious alarm bells amongst the elite field and he’s hoping to make it a more all-round performance in 2022.

The Drak Challenge’s technical rapids are its hallmark. The race asks a lot of a paddlers technical ability to manoeuvre a boat through tight sections of river. For Nzimande paddling the Drak is an important part of him growing as a paddler.

Meeting the Drak challenge

“The uMzimkhulu River and the Drak Challenge have definitely made me a better paddler,” Nzimande said.
“I find I have to look at the river and the conditions very differently to what I am used to and that makes it more challenging, but a lot of fun.

“You have to think quickly and trust your instincts which are things that I am learning to do a lot more now.”
Khumbulani Nzimande

Nzimande will be teaming up with Mpilo Zondi for the Dusi and the pair have been training hard for both that and the Drak Challenge. The new pairing hope to challenge canoeing’s elite.

“We have been mixing our training up from the K1 to the K2 and have been putting in as much work as we can until we have a break over Christmas.

“With the Drak coming up I have had to change my training a bit so that I can do some Drak-specific training and not just train for the Dusi.

“The race is so different to the Dusi that I need to make sure that I am ready and I need to be ready for the technical rapids.

“I really enjoy the rapids at the Drak and in the build-up I am going to do the FastDrak,” he added.

Time to get going

The 2021 edition of the Drak Challenge was cancelled meaning the FastDrak will give Nzimande a good glimpse of what to expect at next year’s race. He hopes, therefore, to replicate or improve the result that he produced in 2020.

Underberg hosts the Drak Challenge canoe marathon between 29 and 30 January 2022. The race takes part on the beautiful yet unforgiving uMzimkhulu river.

The sport of canoeing has experienced a boom in numbers. That boom belies the difficulties faced by elite athletes.