History as UAE win first kayak world championship gold medal

The UAE kayak community are aiming to create future Olympians after tasting gold at a world championship for the first time.

Ellecia Saffron became the first surf-ski single world champion for the country when she won the masters category at the ICF Ocean Racing World Championship in Madeira.

Tiago Oliveira and Aleks Zigalovs then won the double category a day later at the event in Portugal.

On the same day, Saffron finished 10th in the double with Bence Bartfai, a 16-year-old Dubai-based paddler who had competed in the Under-18 section on the opening day.

“The level of competition was phenomenal,” Saffron said. “Every athlete pushed us all to do our best.

"I have immense respect for everyone and the organisers and surf-ski companies that got 400 skis there for us to compete on.

“The conditions were tough but that’s what makes ocean racing unique. You are not just competing against other athletes and their strength and ability.

“You are also battling the elements. Madeira’s waters tested us to the limit. We were against the wind and the current for the last 10-12kms.

“It was really tough. The scenery was stunning, but it wasn’t my favourite race. It felt even more of an achievement afterwards.”

Saffron originates from Australia but chooses to compete for the UAE having lived in Abu Dhabi for the past 17 years.

She finished her 21km race in 2hrs, 11mins, which was over 10 minutes ahead of the second-placed competitor in her category (40-44 year olds).

Despite her margin of victory, she did not know she had won gold until much later, and only found out while preparing her boat for the next day's race with Bartfai.

“I was trying to get the stickers on [their boat], get it on the trailer, and make sure all that was sorted,” she said.

“I was doing that and chatting to people, hearing about who had won and all the open categories had gone, and congratulating them.

“It wasn’t until quite a bit after that someone asked me how I did and I said I hadn’t checked. I thought maybe I’d placed.

“They looked it up and told me the result, and it was a good moment. I was a bit emotional.”

Saffron says the performance of the UAE team at the event is remarkable given how new the country is to international competition, and how small their contingent was.

The competitors also self-fund their participation. Saffron, for example, estimates the event in Portugal cost her between Dh10,000-15,000 on outgoings such as entry fees, travel, uniforms, equipment, and boat hire. The team members even print the UAE stickers for the boats themselves.

“We choose to compete for the UAE, it’s a choice that we make, and we are proud to do it. But it is a big commitment,” she said.

“I love the UAE national anthem, [she said of standing on the podium and hearing Ishy Bilady playing].

“It was surreal, but I felt really, really happy that us as a small team had a moment like that and were recognised in a small way.

“It is pretty awesome that a team of only four people, in its second world championship that we have competed in ocean racing as a canoe and rafting federation has had that. Especially against teams with more people in them.”

Krisztian Bartfai, a former Olympian for Hungary, is the sport manager at Paddlers Hub UAE in Dubai, where the majority of the team train.

He hopes the medal haul in Portugal will help promote the sport in the country, and help with their aim to produce future Olympians.

“It is about more than just individual triumphs, it’s about recognising the untapped potential in non-motorised water sports in the UAE,” Bartfai, Bence’s father, said.

“Our country has vast water resources used daily by schools, tourists, and amateurs. Our sport is an Olympic sport with immense potential.

“Let’s give our athletes the recognition they deserve and unlock a future where we can produce new Olympians within a few years for Los Angeles 2028.”