Phl Army retains 400, 250-meter titles in 2nd CamSur Int’l Dragon Boat Fest

CamSur captures Mixed, Triton Women crowns

PILI, CamSur – Fortified with members of the national team that did the country proud in Florida, USA, the Philippine Army team gave away no quarters in its bid to defend and retain the 400 and 250-meter crowns of the 2nd CamSur International Dragon Boat Fest held at the Lago del Rey of the CamSur Watersports Complex here October 15 and 16.

The Army crew paddled the 400-meter finals race held Saturday, October 15 in 1 minute and 30.7 seconds and the 250-meter distance in 58.97 seconds, best times recorded in the two distances in the two successive years the CamSur Dragon Boat Fest were held here.

The team’s 400-meter 1:30.7 winning time is seven and a half seconds faster than its own first place clocking last year and the 250-meter finish of 58.97 is only the second time the one-minute barrier was breached in the 250 meters here, the first and best time being Army’s own 58.23 seconds in the qualifying heats earlier.

Powered by paddlers who ruled the regatta during the Peñafrancia Fiesta last September, Buhi Iraya and Buhi Boat Lake dragon boat teams took the second and third places, respectively, in the Men 400 meters in a sizzling nose-to-nose contest. Iraya clocked in at 1:01.08 and Boat Lake 1:01.09.

With only four competing crews, Team Aklan Guardians was hairline first placer in the Women 400 meters with cumulative time of 3 minutes 51.50 seconds closely followed by Bugsay Boracay just a miniscule 0.02 second behind in second place and Triton Dragon Boat Racing Team A in third place with 3:52.35. First place in the 250 meters Women was bagged by Triton Racing Team A at 2:25.95, second place by DLSU at 27.41 and third place by Bugsay Boracay at 2:28:28.

CamSur Dragon Boat Team dominated the Mixed team races taking the 400 meters in a runaway 1:38.62, well ahead of second placer De La Salle University 1:40.22 and Bugsay Boracay at 1:40.92, and posting a conclusive finish in the 250 meters with 1:03.70 almost half a dragon boat length ahead of Bicol River Hot Paddlers in second place with 1:04.84 and DLSU at third with 1:05.12.

Only on its second successive year, the CamSur International Dragon Fest initiated by Governor LRay Villafuerte under a comprehensive development blueprint to promote CamSur as an international eco-tourism cum extreme sports center is also fast drumming up local interest among local water-based sports buffs  Camarines having lengthy west and east coastlines, three major bays and gulfs, three major lakes and numerous rivers and inland waterways. (GBClaveria/MMEC)

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