SEAG sweep blessing for dragon rowers

RP Dragonboat team member Usman Anterola hopes the six-gold medal sweep in the recent 23rd Southeast Asian Games would attract more Filipinos and even commercial sponsors in the long run for more honors in the coming years.

"Winning six golds is a big thing for us since we were only expecting one gold. We are really very happy about it," said Anterola, an Army Corporal who also played lead in a television commercial for Extra Joss.

Anterola hopes his appearance in the Extra Joss commercial would help draw interest in the sport also known as traditional boat race, which traces its roots in China.

The 28-year old Anterola was a former javelin and shotput thrower from the University of Perpetual Help-Rizal before he shifted to rowing in 1998. He was part of the gold medal wins of the Philippines in the 1000m 20-a side, 500m 20-a side and 500m 10-a side events.

Aside from Anterola, also endorsing Extra Joss produced by Indonesian based PT Bintang Toedjoe was Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, who also appeared in a TV ad about the product.

Anterola said the sport commands synchronization of movement. He also revealed the victories had a lot to do with intense preparations and the "standing" technique used in the SEA Games.

"This is the half squat and half standing technique that uses power from the legs up," Anterola revealed.

He was part of the national team, which competed in the 2005 International Dragon Boat Competition held in the provinces of Hubei, Macau, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanhai and Fujian, China last June. The team won eight gold medals and one silver medal.