WEEKS before competing in the international arena, the UST Tiger Dragons proved they are dead-set in taking their game to the next level as they captured gold in the second Jam 88.3 FM Dragonboat Regatta Annual Championship last May 7 at the Manila Bay.
UST’s 18-man crew paddled its way to a new record of two minutes and 26.93 seconds in the 500-m course, leading by the length of almost two boats in the final leg to relegate De La Salle University (La Salle) to second place at 2:32.94. San Beda College was third at 2:45.01.
Braving the strong current, the Tiger Dragons started slow, lagging three seconds behind after a shaky start. But UST immediately got on the winning track midway through the race with consistent, strong, and synchronized paddling.
“Our strokes were not that fast but were powerful,” team skipper Chris Cueto told the Varsitarian.
The championship was vengeance for the Thomasian rowers, who lost to La Salle by a fifth of a second in the same tournament last January.
As of presstime, the Tiger Dragons are competing in the Penang International Dragonboat Festival in Malaysia.
