ARMED with pride and an insatiable desire to give honor to the country, the UST Aqua Fortis Rowing team defied the odds and posted a smashing performance in the Taipei International Dragon Boat Championships 2001 last June.
Despite the presence of top-notch dragon boat teams, which included squads from the United States, Thailand, and England, the España-based Rowers refused to be intimidated in their quest to rule the world’s most prestigious dragon boat tournament.
The unpredictable weather in Taipei and the illnesses suffered by some of its members did not dampen the determined UST squad as they posted one of their best performances yet.
At one point, team leader and coach Christopher Cueto told the Varsitarian he had to dispatch a female rower in a men’s race just to complete the team.
In its first outing, Aqua Fortis refused to wilt under the assault of the tournament’s best clubs, posting a decent third-place finish in the International Men’s Division. Powerhouse Thailand Dragon Boat team ruled the event while hometown favorite Taipei placed second.
Gaining confidence, the undermanned UST team grabbed a surprising second place in the International Men’s Repercharge Division. The team from Taipei bagged the gold while the USA squad finished third.
“Nung umpisa nga, ‘di kami pinapansin ng mga ‘yan (USA team). Tawag pa nga nila sa amin, a team of boys and girls. Pero pagkatapos nung race, nagulat sila sa malakas na performance namin dahil iniwanan namin sila kahit mas matatanda at mas malalaki ang katawan nila,” Cueto said.
The highly-pumped up UST squad then proceeded to meet their foes in the International Friendly Men’s Division. The presence of two USA teams did not intimidate the España-based Rowers as they crushed their opponents to finally capture a gold medal in the tournament.
The Aqua-Fortis team used a devastatingly quick start to edge out team USA and USA-Hawaii.
“Iba pala ‘yung feeling when people cheer for you. Kami kasi ‘yung pinapalakpakan ng mga tao, siguro dahil nakita nila ‘yung determination namin. Ang sarap din nung pakiramdam na ‘pag dating mo sa finish line, andoon ‘yung Philippine flag na sumasalubong sa iyo,” Cueto said.
The tournament was highlighted by a party that celebrated the camaraderie and friendship the world’s best rowers shared during the five-day meet.
Next for the victorious UST squad will be another dragon boat race in Japan this November. Cueto hopes his key Rowers would join again to assure another successful campaign.
