Philippine paddlers vie in World dragonboat

The Cobra-PAL Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) team seeks to paddle its way to glory as it competes in the 12th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) World Championships beginning today in Ontario, Canada.

Coming off a two-gold, one-silver, one-bronze harvest in the 2014 World Cup in China, the Pinoy paddlers vie for honors in the small boat categories, determined to live up to high expectations and bring home three gold medals in the 16-nation meet.

The Filipinos launch their bid on Day One in the 2,000-meter distance, where they are entered in the premier open race against rivals from Chinese Taipei, Hungary, Puerto Rico, Sweden and New Zealand, as well as in the Senior A mixed category.

On Aug. 21, the Phl paddlers see action in the 500-meter races in the mixed-premier and mixed-Senior A classes. The next day, they contend in their favorite distance, the 200-meter, looking to strike hard in premier open, premier mixed and Senior A mixed competitions.

The Filipinos cap their campaign on Aug. 23 as they dispute top honors in the 500-meter premier open with Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Puerto Rico, Sweden and Switzerland.

“We have trained hard for this race,” said Alberto Hugo, pacer and team captain of the 17-member Phl delegation.

The Cobra-PAL PDBF crew has enjoyed a rich history in the IDBF worlds as it still owns the world record in men’s 200m longboat distance. Last year, it also set a new global mark in the 100m in its World Cup romp.