Joshua Glyn-Cuthbert, a member of the Stellenbosch/Maties Rowing Club, arrived at the 2026 Berg River Canoe Marathon as the form paddler of the Western Cape season, unbeaten in all four June build-up races on the 240 km course from Paarl to Velddrif.

The 22-year-old Stellenbosch University electrical-engineering student carried the hopes of a new generation against 48-year-old Hank McGregor, a man with 14 Berg titles and more marathon world championship kayak crowns than anyone alive.

Glyn-Cuthbert proved he belonged immediately. A lead quartet broke clear on Day 1 (Wednesday 15 July), and when Tom Lovemore swam and Msawenkosi Mtolo fell away, the race became a duel across the generations.

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Leading the way

Glyn-Cuthbert and McGregor crossed the line together, separated by a single second.

On Day 2 the elapsed-time start let them paddle together, and McGregor was content to follow the younger man’s line through the tree-blocks and narrow channels. “Josh knows what he’s doing,” the champion admitted. “I’m in good hands.”

After two days Glyn-Cuthbert sat second overall, within touching distance.

Disaster struck for the young paddler on the 76-km Queen Stage on Friday 17 July. Roughly 20 km from the finish, in one of the most remote stretches of the route, he followed Jeremy Maher through a narrow gap in a tree.

Powerful paddle

Glyn-Cuthbert’s paddle caught the branches and snapped in half. “I took a few hard strokes and it just snapped right in half,” he said.

Stranded in the wilderness, he lost more than 30 minutes. Leading woman Neriyah Dill offered him duct tape; a friendly farmer helped repair the shaft and he managed to limp home 15th on the stage, plunging from second to seventh overall.

But his tenacity and fighting power were on full display on the final day. A powerful paddle saw Glyn-Cuthbert salvage fifth place overall, finishing third in the lead group, just under two minutes away from the podium.

Notably he was the only paddler to pressure the eventual winner McGregor across the four days of racing.

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