After a three-year absence, the Philippines is back with an elite Philippine Army crew which leave today (Sunday) for the 14th International Dragon Boat Federation Championships in Pattaya, Thailand.
The paddlers want to come early to acclimatize themselves for the competitions set from Aug. 20 to 25.
Known as the Philippine Army Dragon Warriors, the team tries to get familiar with the conditions of the water at the Mabprachan Reservoir, Bang Lamung District in Chonburi.
“Sasali ulit kami. Mabigat ito, dahil lahat ng kalaban ay naghanda. Kami rin ay naghanda, because we are the team to beat,” said head of delegation, Col. Raymund Lachica following a send-off last Friday at the City Park Hotel Manila in Taguig City.
Over 4,000 athletes from 30 countries are expected to take part in the six-day event.
A 31-man team of athletes and officials has been assembled to form the Dragon Warriors, who have been training for the last three months, with coach Usman Anterola leading them.
“The team is led by eight veterans, and there are four coming in from the civilian ranks and clubs. And they have not seen action internationally. The four new ones will help us win medals,” said Anterola, who has been racing since 1998.
Anterola and veterans like Romy John Dionio, Salvador Sumagaysay, Harlan Baraquero and Joemar Ocquiana, will bring with them the experience they got after being part of the national squad for the Southeast Asian Games in 1995, until many of them retired in 2007.
Overall, the team is made up of 24 soldiers from the Army, two airmen from the Air Force and five civilian athletes.
The entire team prepared at the nearby Fitness Army Gym at the Bonifacio Global City.
It is the first time that the IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships will take place in the Kingdom of Thailand.
And the new environment will be a challenge to the Dragon Warriors.
The Army Dragon Warrior paddlers are entered in the Senior A, the premier mixed categories of the small boat division.
The team will be accompanied by Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, who will be their manager.
Under Cabunoc’s watch, the team has earned five golds and two silvers during the 2011 World Championships in Tampa, Florida.
In 2014, an Army crew-bannered team snared two golds during the World Club Crews Dragon Boat Championships in Ravenna, Italy.
Later, they claimed four golds in the same event held in Adelaide, Australia in 2016.
“We count on a high state of discipline and comradeship of our crew. We are focused in claiming victory in this race,” said Anterola.
The Dragon Warriors are seeing action through the support of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation.
Paddlers from the PDBF have done well in the 200 meters Premier Open category in such events.
In 2009, Filipino rowers logged a time of 40.02 seconds, to beat their own record of 41.91 that they had set in Sydney two years earlier.
This record stood until 2017 when China beat the time at the World Championships in Kunming.
