Filipino squad dominates Guam dragon boat tilt

Philippine SAG-1 dragon boat team at the Guam International Regatta. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–A Filipino dragon boat team took home two overall championships in the fourth Guam Thanksgiving Day Dragon Boat Festival in Guam, USA over the weekend.

The Philippine SAG-1 dragon boat team, based in Manila, dominated the 200 and 400-meter events in the two-day competition participated in by eight teams from Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

“We were overwhelmed with the results, but I also believe that the two months of hard training by the team led us to victory,” said SAG-1 Dragon Boat Team Captain Michael Lara in a press release.

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The Filipino squad, which is made up of working professionals who train during weekends, bagged six gold medals in the tournament.

The Philippines’ SAG-1 mixed team topped the podium in the 200m and 400m distances (22-seater), clocking in  2:02.46 and 4:41.27, respectively, while the women’s team captured victories in the 200m and 400m small boat (12-seater) categories with times of 2:25.54 and 5:30.04, in that order.

The team also ruled the open small boat (12-seater) in both distances with the time of 1:02.03 (200m) and 2:20.32 (400m). 

SAG-1 dragon Boat team coach Ric Nacional said that despite being a club team, they are dedicating all their performances to the country.

“Every stroke of our paddles is dedicated to the Philippines. We are grateful to represent our country in international competitions such as this one,” he said.

The Manila-based crew is scheduled to compete the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Dragonboat Federation (PCKDF) Club Crew Challenge Series 4 on December 15 in Malawaan Park, Subic after the Southeast Asian Games. Celest Flores-Colina