PH Dragon Boat team eyes Asian Games gold

PH Dragon Boat team. Photo by June Navarro

A gold medal in next year’s Asian Games in Indonesia.

The Philippine dragon boat team has set this goal for the 2018 Asiad after winning four gold medals in the Taiwan International Dragon Boat Championships in Changhua, Taiwan over the weekend.

“We haven’t won a gold in [dragon boat] in the Asian Games,” said Philippine Canoe Kayak and Dragon Boat Federation president Jonne Go on Tuesday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum at Golden Phoenix Hotel.

READ: PH paddlers reset world mark

“The success of our campaign in Taiwan is the first step toward achieving that goal,” added Go, also the auditor of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Host Indonesia has included the men’s and women’s 200 meter and 500m for 10 and 20 seaters in the Palembang Games slated Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 next year.

“We might as well take advantage of this rare opportunity to target the gold,’’ said Go, who brought along paddlers Daniel Ortega, Alex Generalo, Roger Masbate, Reymart Nevado, Ojay Fuentes and drummer Patricia Ann Bustamante during the weekly forum.

The Filipino paddlers won the men’s 200m 20-seater in record-breaking fashion and ruled the 200m 10-seater, 500m 10 and 20 seaters as well.

READ: PH Dragon Boat Team overcomes favorites, tops Russia tilt 

They clocked 40.16 seconds during the semifinals of the 200m 20-seater for the gold to reset their previous world record of 41 seconds in the 2014 ICF World Dragon Boat Championships in Poznan, Poland.

According to Go, the team hasn’t reached its peak yet and capable of erasing its own world standard from now until the Asian Games.

“We haven’t reached our full potential. If we can accomplish our objectives in training, it won’t be hard for us to win,’’ said Go.