Dragon boat team bags gold

MILAN– An adventure of sorts yielded a surprise package – another gold medal – for the Philippine dragon boat team in the all-men, small boat 2,000 meter event of the World Dragon Boat Championships hosted by the Idroscalo water sports club here.

 “We were really more concerned with the qualifying runs in the 200 meter races.  But since we were first in the order of release, we decided to join,” explained head coach Len Escollante after the charged up RP boys finished in 9:35.488 for the country’s third gold medal plus a silver.

Sweden, just behind the Filipinos in the pursuit race, surprised the rest in winding up with the silver in 9:41.814 ahead of Germany (9:43.054) which nosed out frustrated Russia (9:43.774).