RP Dragon Boat Team Bags Six Medals at Club Crew World Championships 2012!

By: Marion Ang Suet Hoon and Vivian Koh Jia En
Diploma in Communication and Information Design (R32)
Centre for Culture and Communication 

Hong Kong, 4 July 2012 – It was a display of endurance, drive and mettle as Republic Polytechnic (RP) Dragon Boat team, which consisted of current Republic Poly students and alumni, brought home a haul of six medals in the recent 8th Club Crew World Championships (CCWC) held in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong from 2 to 8 July 2012.

The races were held between 4 and 8 July 2012 at
Hong Kong Victoria Harbour (seen above)

CCWC is an important event in the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) calendar. Organised by the IDBF, it saw 170 of the world's top dragon boat clubs compete for the gold. With over 4500 athletes from more than 20 countries, RP faced stiff competition as they were up against teams from countries such as Australia, Canada and Germany.

Nevertheless, our RP Dragons exhibited strength, endurance and sportsmanship as they rowed to the finish lines and won medals in the 200m and 500m categories. The following table details the medals they won at the competition.

 

The female team with their gold trophy for winning the
200M Small Boat, U23 Women category.

The most memorable moment for the team was how they managed to salvage a heart-stopping moment. During the Mixed 20-crew 500m race, the boat actually sank. The rough waves posed a challenge to the team as sea water gushed into the boat with every stroke; however, they persevered and continued paddling on, entering the finishing buoys half-submerged.

"The paddlers remained calm despite what happened. I'm proud that the team stayed together to help each other until the last paddler was rescued. After all, it was definitely is a great experience for us," said Diploma in Health Management and Promotion (R43) student Landy Eng, captain of the women's dragon boat team.

Congratulations Team Republic!