Philippine Army dragon boat team gets gold, paddles

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Army Dragon Boat team, which forms the core of the World Champion Cobra PDBF paddlers, struck gold once again after dominating the men’s 300-meter race for the third straight time in the recent 4th leg Dragon Boat Championships in Manila Bay.

The 20-man crew, led by team captain Sgt. Usman Anterola, clocked 48 seconds flat to capture the main event, beating
Team DLSU who checked in 50.51 seconds. Team Onslaught (50.73) and Team RCP (55.56) finished third and fourth, respectively.

“We worked hard the past weeks training for this and it all paid off,’’ said Anterola, who bared that his team is preparing for the World Club Crew Championships in Hong Kong in July.

The team was part of the PDBF paddlers who bagged five gold medals and two silvers in the World Championships in Tampa Bay last August.

Early this month, the team received their customized Merlin fiberglass paddles which bore their names and the Philippine flag.

Army chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista commended the team for its latest achievement.

Team DLSU landed the gold in the mixed event after finishing in 53 seconds, beating Team MOP (54.43).