Fadhil Yunus
Brunei Darussalam boat racing team Boneka Paddlers Team ‘B’ did the country proud after finishing second at the international premier open 20s category of the Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta (SIDBR) at the Kuching Waterfront recently.
The local team recorded a time of 1:10.16s, 0.09 slower than eventual winners Pacific West Dragon Boat Club from Penang, and ahead of Indonesia’s Kapuas Hulu who came third.
Boneka Paddlers Coach Mohammad Aliudin Nohaddin felt that the paddlers could fare better during the competition.
The coach said, “I have to be honest that I am less pleased with the result where we finished in second place. This is because of a slight error in tactics and strategy during the match. If there were no mistake in the final and our tactics and strategy carried out as planned, I am confident our team would have won first place. However, I will take it with an open heart and accept the result.”
During this year’s edition, the team comprised 45 paddlers, four of whom are female.
The team contested in four categories, namely the 20-crew event, 12-crew event, 12-crew mixed team event and master mixed team event.
The other teams representing the country were Persatuan Lela Cheteria, Boneka Paddlers Team ‘A’, PTB Dragon Boat Club and Tutong District Team.
