Airmen reign in Cobra dragon boat race

MANILA, Philippines - Air Force finally hit the big one as it came from behind to beat Marines in the Open 300m standard boat division and sweep the third leg of the Cobra Energy Drink Dragon Boat Regatta at the Manila Bay overlooking the Baywalk in Manila last weekend.

Without arch rivals Army and Navy-Coast Guard, the Air Force paddlers still found the going rough against a tough Marine crew, needing to come up with a big finishing kick in the last 20 meters to clinch the win in one minute, 1.04 seconds.

The Marines settled for second in 1:01.85 while the PDRT Fireblades timed 1:03.40 and placed third in the event backed by the country’s leading energy drink, Cobra.

“We had to strategize well because we knew we could match speed with the Marines and needed to time our move when to strike. But they lost steam in the last 50 meters where we poured it all out,” said Sgt. Rommel Estrella, the Air Force coach.

It was Air Force’s first win after back-to-back runner-up finishes.

Powered by some members of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation squad that went 10-for-10 in the fourth Korea Open Busan International Dragon Boat Festival recently, Air Force also secured hard-earned wins in the women’s and mixed standard 300-meter races.

The Air Force bets topped the women’s event with a cumulative time of 2:30.73, edging the Marines, who clocked 2:31.53, while Blue Phoenix placed third in 2:32.57 in the event that drew a banner field of 44 teams.

Forced to work double time after entering three categories, the Air Force squad mustered enough energy to finish the day in style in ruling the mixed contest in 1:05.83 in the event backed by the Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau.

Triton A edged Blue Phoenix – 1:07.09 to 1:07.37 – for second in the division that lured a record of 16 squads in the event organized by the Cobra-PDBF Dragon Boat series.

“Coming from 10 to 16 teams in the mixed division shows that our event is attracting more women enthusiasts and is another positive sign that the popularity of dragon boat rowing as an active sport is growing,” said Cobra assistant brand manager Karlene Sebastian. “We are glad to be a part of this development.” 

PDBF president Marcia Cristobal said they will be fielding more boats in the fourth and finals leg of the 2014 Cobra regatta in December.

“We want a better paddling experience for our participants so we bought these boats with the help of Cobra for a smoother and more efficient running of our races,” said Cristobal.