Sharpe & Freeman win the 2024 DW

Tom Sharpe and Anoushka Freeman took the honours, winning a curtailed 2024 Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race.

With heavy rain hitting the south east of the United Kingdom on Thursday, the flow on both the canal and river increased significantly, making conditions tricky for all participants.

Paddlers for the Stages Race set off towards Westminster from 7am on Friday morning, with the Senior Doubles getting underway at 4:30am on Saturday. 

However the final destination at Westminster was not to be, with the tideway being red flagged. With the red flags out, it meant that paddlers were not allowed onto the Tideway, and as such, the race was finished at Teddington lock.

Sharpe and Freeman were always one of the favourites for the race this year, and they didn't disappoint, winning the Senior Doubles race with a time of 13h43m46 seconds.

Credit: Nicki Douglas-Lee

Billy Butler and Jon O’Grady were the last crew to leave Devizes, and they went on to finish second, 26mins adrift of Sharpe and Freeman, while Mike Rees-Clark and Edd Dobson rounded out the top three.

Conditions proved particularly difficult through the night, with several crews retiring out on the Thames, but weather conditions did at least remain stable.

The same could not be said for Friday however, with the Stages race being subjected to very heavy rain showers.

Dan Palmer won the Senior Singles event, beating Richard Winstanley and Steven Riley.

In the Junior/Vet class, it was Almir Balla and Serhii Pavlyshyn that took the top honours, while in the Junior Doubles - a race that finished at Dreadnought Reach - Reading’s Max Prins-Mills and Aidan Teeuwen took a second successive victory.

Elliot Davies and Gabe Davies finished second, 16 minutes further back, while the Lord Wandsworth crew of Joel Watt and Ted Umbers finished third.

We appreciate that for the Senior Doubles race especially, that crews will be disappointed the race did not go the full distance, however, we want to express our thanks and appreciation for their and their and support crews understanding.

We always want to be able to take the race to Westminster, however, this year, unfortunately the river was not on our side.

We also want to give a huge thanks to the army of volunteers who have given up their Easter this year to help marshal the event. Without you, this race simply could not happen!

Speaking about the event, DW Director Paul Fielden said: “The 2024 DW was run with the highest water levels seen for many years. Not only was the river and the lower canal sections flowing very fast, some of the upper canal towpaths were swamped and underwater. 

“In the main, paddlers coped with the challenges this presented and many posted fast times. Unfortunately, the high water levels meant that the tideway section of the river was red flagged and the race was terminated after 108 miles at Teddington.

“The DW would like to thank all the volunteers who make this race happen - they are a special part of the DW family. 

“We also offer our congratulations to all those paddlers that finished and condolences to those who had to retire early.  

“We hope to see you all back next year!”