By Jean Malanum | Philippine News Agency
Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragon Boat Federation (PCKBDF) president Leonora Escollante on Monday praised the Filipino paddlers for their brilliant showing in the just-concluded ICF Dragon Boat World Championships, bagging 11 gold, 20 silver, and 8 bronze medals.
However, she believes they can further excel in overseas competitions.
“While I am proud of what we achieved at the ‘Worlds’ [championships], I believe that there is still room for improvement. Something is still missing. So, that is what we will work on so that our paddlers can be more competitive in international competition,” Escollante said in an interview.
The Philippines relegated regional powerhouse Thailand to second place with eight golds, while the squad composed of Individual Neutral Athletes placed third place with six gold, three silver and three bronze medals.
“I believe our athletes can deliver more as they work on the areas they can improve on because the proper technique and execution is already there. Among them is boosting their power and we can only do that with the proper nutrition and supplements,” Escollante said.
National coach Duch Co and national team skipper OJ Fuentes also shared their opinions.
“We practically have the same stroke and technique as our foreign rivals. But we lack power. Nutrition is very important and that’s the big thing we lack,” Co said.
“It’s a big thing if we can build muscle and get more power in our strokes. You have seen our opponents, especially from Europe, who are strong and muscular,” commented Fuentes.
Escollante said the federation needs support and financial resources not only from the government but from the private sector.
She hopes the Philippine team’s triumph at the world championship would make private sponsors notice the potential of dragon boat racing.
Escollante said the private sector’s support will be needed in the event that the country qualifies for the World Games in Chengdu, China, where dragon boat will make its debut in the sportsfest for non-Olympic disciplines, as well as in the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games next year.
“There is a good chance that the Philippines will qualify for the World Games and the sport will be back in the Thailand SEA Games so we need to maintain and sustain the gains we attained at the ‘Worlds’ in these two big events late next year,” she said.
As early as Nov. 1, when they snared eight gold medals, the Filipinos already surpassed their 5-1-2 finish in the 2018 edition of the competition held in Gainesville, Georgia.