PH paddlers nail gold
Paddlers from the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation (PCKDF) registered the fastest time in the continent to capture the gold medal in the recent Asian Dragon Boat Championships in Dali, China.
Head coach Len Escollante said that if they replicate the gold-winning 47.55-second clocking in the men’s 10-seater 200-meter race in the coming Asian Games in Indonesia, it could propel the national paddlers to another golden finish.
“We’re getting stronger approaching the Asian Games,” said Escollante. “No other dragonboat team in the Philippines can match or at least come close to 48 seconds.”
The Filipinos also topped the 500m race in the continental championships, a feat hailed by top International Canoe Federation officials and International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) president Mike Thomas, who awarded the medals to the podium finishers.
