Pinoy paddlers reach success in international dragon boat regatta

Members of the SAG-1 crew

The Philippines continued to flex its excellence in dragon boat racing with their recent domination at the 4th Guam Thanksgiving Day Dragon Boat Festival this past weekend.

Pinoy side SAG-1 bested eight teams from the likes of Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and hosts Guam in the tourney, winning six gold medals and took home a couple of overall champion awards in the 200-meter and 400-meter races.

SAG-1 topped both categories in the small boat (12-seater) division with a time of 2:25.54 and 5:30:04. Guam finished runner-up in the 200-m category with a time of 2:28.07, while Hong Kong took the silver in the 400-m category with their time of 5:44.61.

SAG-1 paddlers also clocked in a time of 2:02.46 and 4:41.27 in the mixed standard races, beating out their opposition from Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong in both the 200-meter and 400-meter divisions. They completed their gold haul in clinching the 200-meter and 400-meter divisions for the open small boat category, beating out Hong Kong in the 200-m division, 1:02.03 to 1:03.53, and Guam in the 400-m division, 2:20.32 to 2:23.85.

According to SAG-1 team captain Michael Lara, "We were overwhelmed with the results, but I also believe that the two months of hard training by the team led us to victory." Head coach Ric Nacional adds, "We are not just a club team once we join an international event. Every stroke of our paddles is dedicated to the Philippines. We are grateful to represent our country in international competitions such as this one."

Lara also shared the benefits of participating in dragon boat racing, noting that it "promotes the value of working as one solid unit to achieve a common goal, no matter how challenging it may be." He adds, "As we apply this during training, we hope that it also translates to the paddlers’ lives outside the boat, in their homes, community, and society." Most of the team is composed of working professionals, who have carved out time from their busy schedules to train with the team during weekends.

SAG-1 is set to participate in the Club Crew Challenge Series 4 of the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Dragonboat Federation, which will take place on December 15 at the Malawaan Park in Subic.