Puerto Princesa– The Philippine dragon boat team made history on Saturday, surpassing its previous best performance at the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships.
Racing on the windswept and choppy waters along the Puerto Princesa Baywalk, the team achieved a new milestone, showcasing resilience despite challenging weather conditions.
Battling sudden afternoon downpours and strong winds, the Filipino paddlers matched their four-gold haul from earlier in the day, clinching two more titles in the 40+ women’s standard boat 500-meter event with a time of 2:16.32 and the 40+ men’s standard boat 500-meter race in 1:59.23 in the tournament organized by the Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation, was supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Tingog party-list.
By the end of the day, the Philippine team had amassed an impressive eight gold, six silver, and six bronze medals, shattering their previous best of five gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the 2018 championships in Gainesville, Georgia.
“The achievements of our paddlers yesterday (Saturday) were overwhelming, especially after we didn’t secure a single gold on opening day,” shared Leonora “Lenlen” Escollante, President of the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragon Boat Federation and former national coach. “This historic accomplishment was a true team effort—from athletes to coaches and support staff, everyone played a crucial role.”
Escollante expressed optimism that more gold medals could be added to the tally before the tournament concludes, while also commending the meticulous preparations by the Puerto Princesa City government, led by Mayor Lucilo Bayron. Their efforts allowed Palawan’s coastal capital to host a record-breaking field of 27 countries and nearly 2,000 participants in this year’s championship.
“Lahat ng mga training at paghihirap ng ating mga paddlers nagbunga. All the sacrifices and hard work were worth it,” said national coach Duchess Co, reflecting on the Filipino team’s new all-time best performance since the country’s first entry into the world championships a decade ago in Poznan, Poland.
The Filipino paddlers’ impressive haul continued Saturday morning with four silver medals in the 40+ 10-seater open 200-meter race (52.72 seconds), 40+ 10-seater women’s standard boat event (58.66 seconds), junior 10-seater open (2:16.23), and junior women’s 500-meter (2:47.97).
In the 200-meter small boat mixed event later in the day, the Philippine team secured fifth place with a time of 52.12 seconds in a race where all six squads were nearly neck-and-neck until the final 10 meters. Indonesia finished first at 50.59 seconds, with Myanmar and Chinese Taipei tied for second at 51.20 seconds, and Spain in fourth at 51.37 seconds.
“Talagang gitgitan, buti na lang at nakalaban kami ng sabayan at hindi bumigay,” commented national team skipper OJ Fuentes on the intense race. The finish improved upon their 10th-place showing in the mixed 2,000-meter small boat event on Friday, the first of three qualifying events for the top nine teams advancing to the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China.
