RP dragon boat team wins in Australia

By Tarra Quismundo
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The cold wind burned their tanned faces and the chill water burdened their arms, but the thirst for the win pushed them to reach the finish line first.

In unfamiliar weather, the 39-member Philippine Dragon Boat Federation clinched the gold medal in the 200-meter race against powerhouse rowers in the just-concluded 8th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) Dragon Boat Championship at the Sydney International Regatta Center in Australia from September 19 to 23.

The team, composed of rowers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the Army, Navy and Air Force, also placed second in the 500-meter event and took bronze in the 1,000-meter and 2,000-meter races, earning them four medals in all.

“It was very cold… Some of us didn’t even bring clothing for cold weather. And then they [team members] said there was ice in the water. But that didn’t stop the team. OK na OK sa mga atleta natin eh. Kumbaga [It was really okay for our athletes. In short], they’re hungry for the win,” said team coach Nestor Ilagan shortly after arriving from Australia Tuesday night.

“We didn’t expect it but it was a surprise also to us. However, we did our everything, we did our homework, so to speak, and the team practiced a lot. It paid off,” Ilagan said.

The team had snagged medals in other international competitions before, but their latest victory may well be the sweetest as they managed to paddle past the world’s strongest rowers from North America, Europe and Asia.

“We defeated the powerhouse[s] in dragon boat, especially Germany, the United States and even Russia…Macau, Hong Kong, China, they were all there,” added Ilagan.

“We knew that the teams that compete in this competition are very strong. It’s like the Olympics of dragon boating. So we were expecting that they brought the best of their countries,” said the coach of the 17-nation meet.

The Philippines’ best, however, prevailed and even made record time in the 200-meter sprint, finishing the race in “below 42 [seconds]” said Ilagan. He however could not say for sure whose row time the Philippines bested as the record must first be confirmed by the IDBF.

“It was really cold and windy, and there was big difference in the water. The water in Sydney was denser,” said Ricky Sardena, 31, a PCG rower, accustomed to practicing in the warm waters of Manila Bay.

“We’re really happy about what happened in Sydney because it’s the first time we got four medals in one competition,” he added, recalling that the team only managed to get one in competitions in China and Germany.

The team came home to cheers from supporters from the PCG, among them Sardena’s wife, Mt. Everest summitteer Janet Belarmino, who brought their first-born, Himalaya, to welcome the returning champions, and fellow summitteer Noelle Wenceslao.

Switching roles with her husband, who had welcomed the summitteers at the airport after their successful conquest of the world’s tallest peak, Belarmino said: “Kami naman babawi ngayon kasi gusto namin sila bigyan ng suporta [Now it’s our turn because we want to give them support].”

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