THE Philippines scored two more gold medals in the 2018 International Canoe Federation (ICF) World Dragon Boat Championship in Gainesville, Georgia.
The PH paddlers ruled the 10-seater and 20-seater senior mixed 200-meter races to add to their total in the medal tally as the team now has four gold medals in the competition.
Hermie Macaranas and Mark Jhon Frias helped the Filipino paddlers to a sprint in the last 50 meters of the race to check in 50.46 seconds in the 10-seater event.
France finished second with 53.056 seconds, while Hungary placed third with 53.158 seconds.
“On a shorter course such as the 200m, you need produce faster and powerful strokes to become successful,” said coach Diomedes Manalo.
The team from the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation paddlers also had two silver medals in the small boat senior men’s 500m and big boat senior mixed 2,000m race, surpassing their medal tally in 2016 in Moscow, Russia where they won three gold medals.
In the 20-seater event, the Filipino paddlers clocked 43.481 seconds with Czech Republic placing second with 46.082 seconds and United States third with 46.146 seconds.
“Congratulations to our dragon boat athletes for improving on their medal tally from their last world championship,” said Go For Gold chief Jeremy Go. “Despite all the struggle and adversity, our team has come out on top and continues to impress.”
The Philippines can still win another gold medal in the 10-seater senior men’s 200m final on Sunday (Monday Manila time).
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
