PH rowers rule Macau race June
MANILA, Philippines — The Cobra-Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) paddlers nosed out powerhouse China in the men’s 500-meter standard final to highlight a productive outing in the recent 11th Asian Dragon Boat Championship held in Macau.
In a riveting race that went down the wire, the Filipino bets emerged triumphant to capture the gold in the centerpiece event in two minutes and 4.48 seconds, relegating the Chinese to the silver (2:05.09). Thailand took the bronze (2:05.7).
The Cobra-powered squad organized by the PDBF also copped silvers in the standard mixed 500 meters (1:59.07) and the standard mixed 200 meters (46.68) in the three-day competition among 10 countries.
PDBF president Marcia Cristobal said that the encouraging performance of the team at the Asian meet was a fitting tune-up or their participation in the Dragon Boat World Cup that began Tuesday in China.
The World Cup is considered the “Olympics” of dragon boat rowing and limited to the top 16 countries based on the rankings of Dragon Boat International Magazine. The Filipinos are currently ranked No. 5 in the world.
