Philippine Army Paddlers Confident Of Dominating International Dragonboat Competition

Members of the Philippine Army Dragon Boat Team expressed confidence that they will dominate the upcoming 10th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) which will be held from April 1 to 10 in Adelaide, Australia.

Army Dragon Warriors team captain Sgt. Usman Anterola stressed that he and his companions were “trained to win the gold.”

“The team had been preparing for this competition, training year-round, perfecting our paddling techniques and doing rigorous exercises,” he said.

The Army Dragon Warriors has proven themselves in various local and international competitions, making them world-class soldier-athletes.

The Army athletes were once members of the Philippine National Team since 2003, and had won the world championships and set world records in the standard boat in 2007 and 2009 in Czech Republic and Australia, respectively.

In 2011, it has participated in the World Championships under the banner of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation, winning five gold medals and two silver medals.

As an all-Army team, it won two gold medals during the World Club Crews Championships in Ravenna, Italy in 2014. (PNA) JMC/PFN