DAVAO CITY- The Philippine Army Dragon Boat Team grabbed 2 golds and a silver medal, earning the bragging rights as the over-all champion in the Men's Events of the first ever dragon boat race held in this city from May 2-3, 2014.
Lt Col Harold Cabunoc, the President and Team Manager of the 26-man contingent, said that the soldier-athletes participated in three Men's events including the 2,000m Open, 400m Open and the 200m Open. The competition was held in Baywalk-Queensland here.
"We don't have female athletes this time so we participated only in the three Men's events under the Standard Boat (22-man crew) category," he said.
Cabunoc said that the team finished strong in the 200m sprint with 44 seconds, almost breaking its own record of 41.27 seconds that was nailed in Bohol last year. In the 400m event, the Army posted 1min,43 secs to capture its second gold of the race. It also logged 7mins, 53 seconds in the 2,000m event.
The emerging Dragon Boat powerhouse, the Philippine Air Force, came in second in the overall standing for Men's events.
A total of 10 teams from all over the archipelago came to this booming city in eastern Mindanao in order to participate in the various events including the Mixed Category and Women's Events for the same distances.
The Cherifer Premium powered, all-Army boat crew has dominated the local Dragon Boat races in 2013. It has remained unbeaten in the National Dragon Boat Regatta and the MBC race early this year, strengthening its resolve to pursue its quest for a gold medal during the World Club Crew Dragon Boat Championships in Ravenna, Italy in September 2014.
"If we gather enough sponsorships, we will participate in the World Championships to showcase the Army and the Philippines as a whole as the source of world-class athletes. Before, we used to have 8 world champions in our team and we would like the all-Army crew to duplicate the accomplishments of the famed Pinoy Dragon Warriors," said Cabunoc.
The team is ably supported by the Army headquarters and its sponsors including AFP Commissary and Exchange Service (AFPCES) and Felcris Superstore.
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