| Fadhil Yunus |
WAKTU Brunei Darussalam ‘A’ emerged champions of the International Premier Open 12-crew event in the Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta (SIDBR) after clocking a time of 1:15.18 at the Kuching Waterfront in Kuching, Sarawak last weekend.
Juang Team Brunei Darussalam ‘B’ made it a one-two finish for Brunei Darussalam teams after setting a time of 1:16.45.
The roles are reversed in the International Premier Open 20-crew event with Juang Team Brunei Darussalam ‘A’ clinching top spot and Waktu Brunei Darussalam ‘A’ coming in second place.
Juang Team registered a time of 1:08.31 while Waktu Brunei Darussalam ‘A’ finished with a time of 1:08.81.
Meanwhile, Waktu Brunei Darussalam ‘B’ finished in third place and Waktu Brunei Darussalam ‘A’ in fourth place, both in the International Open Masters 12-crew event.
The mixed team’s journey in the competition ended in the semi-finals after they were outpaced by KL Barbarians.
A total of five categories were contested but Waktu only took part in four as they did not participate in the International Ladies 20-crew.
Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta, a significant water sports event in the Sarawak tourism calendar of events, is widely viewed as the precursor to the Sarawak Regatta which will be held this weekend.
This year’s SIDBR attracted 30 teams from 12 countries including Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia as well as new participants from Germany and Switzerland.
“We have seen an increase of teams for this year’s dragon boat regatta,” said Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sport Sarawak, the tournament is conducted under the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) competition regulations.
Meanwhile, the chosen theme for this weekend’s much-anticipated 146th Sarawak Regatta is ‘Race for Harmony’. The popular international meet will begin with the preliminary heats for all 13 categories.
The grand finale of the Sarawak Regatta will be the highly-coveted Raja Sungai on the final day of the race on November 4.