The Philippine dragon boat team added one silver and one bronze medal to its collection in the 11th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Szeged, Hungary.
The Filipino rowers timed 56.260 seconds to finish second in the Small Boat 200-meter Premier/Women event that was dominated by Thailand (55.120). Taiwan took the bronze in 57.400 seconds while Great Britain ended up fourth with 58.340 followed by Trinidad and Tobago (1:00.560) and Puerto Rico (1:03.010).
The Philippines finished third overall in the Standard Boat 200-meter Premier/Mixed category by checking in at 47.490. Powerhouse China ruled the event with a 46.460 seconds, while Canada settled for second with 47.040. Germany placed fourth (48.450) followed by the Czech Republic (48.520) and Ukraine (49.530).
The Philippines already has bagged two silver and one bronze medals in the chanpionships, counting its second-place finish in the Standard Boat 500-meter Premier/Mixed event earlier.
The Filipinos will be gunning for more medals as they compete in the 500m Premier Open (20 paddlers) and 500m Premier Women (10 paddlers) in the tournament participated in by more than 1,000 paddlers from 28 countries.
In 2011, the team won five golds and two silvers in the 10th edition of the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships held in Tampa Bay, Florida.
EMIL C. NOGUERA