Paddlers rank world No. 2 after WC stint

MANILA, Philippines - The Cobra Philippine Dragonboat Federation (PDBF) team captured two gold medals and took one silver and one bronze in the inaugural International Dragonboat Federation (IDBF) Dragon Boat World Cup in Fuzhou, China recently and moved up to No. 2 in the world ranking.

The Filipino paddlers topped the 100m mixed premier standard in 23.445, Canada (23.825) and China (23.049) and ruled the 500m mixed premier standard in 2.03.693, edging China (2.03.941) and Canada (2.04.553).

They posted a time of 49.565 in finishing second to China (48.659) in the 200m mixed premier standard and settled for bronze (1.48.789) in the 400m relay small boat also topped by China (1.45.891) with Canada ending up second (1.46.763).

The World Cup feat came after the PDBF bagged one gold and two silver medals in the Macau Asian Dragon Boat Championships, netting the Pinoy rowers three golds, three silvers and one bronze in a two-week campaign.

The Philippines thus jumped from No. 5 to second in the world, beating dragonboat racing powerhouse teams from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Hungary, Macau, Thailand, Russia, Ukraine and the US.

Considered the Olympics of dragonboat racing, the World Cup features the top 16 teams.

“The win in Macau underscored the team’s spirit and this showed in their performance in the World Cup. Ranged against the world’s best, our paddlers moved as one to show the world what ‘Lakas ng Pinas’ looks like in competition,” said PDBF president Marcia Cristobal. 

“From Macau to Fuzhou, from the Asian Championships to the World Cup, the Cobra PDBF showed that there is truly no limit to what Filipinos can do. The heart of a warrior is in every Philippine paddler, and we hope this win lights up the fire in every Filipino to persevere, power on, and perform, however small or large our endeavors may be,” said Dan Ong, senior brand manager of Cobra Energy Drink.

“The Cobra PDBF team is made up of top-notch paddlers from the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard and the PDBF club teams. This team demonstrated true skill and real talent plus strength in unity. Now we’re No. 2 and we will go for the top spot next,” said Mike Ngo, Cobra AVP for marketing, media and budget.

For details on the Cobra PDBF Team, visit www.facebook.com/CobraPhilippines.