MAGNETIC SOUTH Landrover G4 Waterfront Rush Brought to you by Men’s Health

MAGNETIC SOUTH Landrover G4 Waterfront Rush Brought to you by Men’s Health MEDIA RELEASE - 10 July 2006 - IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRENCHMAN WINS WATERFRONT RUSH  KNYSNA, 10 JULY 2006: Olivier Feuillette - an extreme kayaker and internationally experienced athlete who describes himself as ‘a Frenchman and a housewife from Cape Town’ - beat 19 year-old Knysnarian Bradley Yazbek to win yesterday’s Land Rover G4 Waterfront Rush brought to you by Men’s Health.      Father of two Olivier beat Land Rover G4 Challenge champion Martin Dreyer, while Bradley beat 2005 Rush finalist, Johnnie Heatlie, in an exciting semi-final knock-out competition which played off on a perfect, warm winter’s day in front of an enormous crowd at the Waterfront at the Knysna Quays.Olivier - who completed his semi-final in a frighteningly fast 3 minutes: 50 seconds - posted the second fastest time in the heats (4: 22 against the 4:15 of defending champion, Hans de Raedt), and went on to win the final by a narrow margin after Bradley caught up with him on the last task of the day - a punishing 8-metre sky wall with overhanging roof and tiny, slippery hand holds.      The event was characterised by the number of champions who entered: men like Martin Dreyer - who had, just 24 hours earlier, stepped off an airplane after completing the punishing 800-kilometre Primal Quest (and who earlier this year beat contestants from 17 other countries to win the Land Rover G4 Challenge); Marsel Roos, who won the SA Biathlon Championships on the weekend before the Rush; Chester Foster, South Africa’s G4 Challenger in 2004; and Hans De Raedt, who won last year’s Waterfront Rush.       Dewald van Burgen, brand manager for Land Rover South Africa, who handed Olivier his R5,000 winner’s cheque, also handed R5,000 to the beneficiaries of the event - the Knysna Adventure Racing development team.      “This is the best development team in the country,” said Rush Director Mark Collins, who explained that, as previously disadvantaged individuals, team members were almost totally unschooled in any of the disciplines adventure racing when they began training shortly before last year’s event. “Now, with the help of funds raised by the Rush, they’ve become the first development team to complete serious races like the Eden Challenge,” he said.Commenting on his win, Olivier said that he had originally come to Knysna to sail, but that he’d entered the Rush when he saw the event being set up.“I didn’t really train,” he said, “but I used to kayak regularly and I do a lot of yoga” - which would explain his ability on the slalom course and on the climbing wall.Although no women made it into the knock-out rounds, the surprise result there was Jessica Crewdson - who posted the fastest women’s time of 6 minutes: 59 seconds. And Jess still a schoolgirl.In a lucky draw to raise additional funds for the Development Racing Team, Yvonne van Zyl won a brand new Chumani canoe from Fluid Kayaks. Full results and pics on line at www.magneticsouth.net.  ENDS 486 WORDS FINAL RESULTS: 1 Olivier Feuillette 2 Bradley Yazbek 3 Johnny Heatlie 4 Martin Dreyer QUALIFYING TIMES:  Hans de Raedt 4:15Olivier Feuillette 4:22Bradley Yazbek 4:35Marthinus Esmeyer 4:41Martin Dreyer 4:45Johnny Heatlie 4:46Nelson das Fontes 4:48Steven Webber 4:49 KNOCK OUT ROUNDS: 

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