Dubai: Women paddlers did the UAE proud by winning the bronze medal in the two kilometre race at the 11th Club Crew World Championship in Hungary last week.
Super excited
The Dragon Fire team, comprising 13 women – all above 40 years of age, pulled off the feat on July 21. “We are super excited. We are a fairly young team –– we have been together for only two years. But we did really well together,” Melissa O’Brien, Canadian, 51, coach and a paddler in the team, told XPRESS over the phone from Szeged, Hungary, after the win.
She said, “It is a glorious moment for all of us and a matter of great pride that we got to represent the UAE at the world championship and bring home a medal.”
She said, “We finished the race in 10.38 minutes. The team from New Zealand which got the gold clocked in 10.14 minutes while the second place winners from Australia finished in 10.34 minutes,” said O’Brien.
Enough time
She said the two kiloemtre race was particularly good as it gave the team enough time to find its rhythm in the boat.
“The key is to go out strong and pace yourself so you have enough energy left for the last leg. The course is done in 4 x 500 metre legs with three turns around buoys. Turns can be challenging because other boats will try and overtake you.”
She said the team trained for the race by breaking it down into four sets and worked in turns to minimise a decrease in boat speed around the corners. “It’s our favourite race. Focus and mental toughness are important to keep strong all the way to the finish line.”
O’Brien said the Dragon Fire women had close finishes in two other races they participated in – 200 metres and 500 metres. “We finished the 200 metre race in 2.26 minutes and it is a personal record for our team. The winning team finished in 2.23 minutes.”
