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| Champs: The Ung Hoa team receive the prize for winning the amateur category. — VNS Photo Hong Van |
Viet Nam News
HA NOI — Ha Noi’s dragon boat race concluded yesterday in West Lake in the capital’s Tay Ho District.
The race heralds the onset of spring and is already a hugely popular cultural event, despite it only being the second year the race has been held.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and Chairman of Ha Noi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung attended the event that attracted nearly 500 athletes from 30 local and international teams.
For each round, there were a total of nine competing boats. Athletes competed in boats of 12 people over a distance of 600m in professional and amateur races.
“This is the first time I have attended the festival. It’s very exciting. I once competed in Phu Quoc and Binh Thuan out in the sea but in West Lake, the water is calm, it is easier for us,” said Nguyen Van Trai from the Ho Chi Minh City team.
“For the contest like this, technique and maintaining the pace to achieve the best result are the factors that count,” he added.
The Laos team won the professional men’s final in a total time of 3.22.91, receiving a total of VND100 million (US$4,320).
The Hong Kong team finished at second in a total time of 3.29.92.
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| On your marks: A view of the teams on West Lake. — VNS Photo |
Kee Zhia Zhuang, an athlete from Malaysia’s team, said his team were excited to get invited to join this event.
“We learn that this is the first time international teams are invited so it’s exciting for us, we got to know. It’s not an individual sport, it’s about team work either depending on the boat size, some is 10 some is 20 and make sense also open. So basically, it’s so exciting and challenging at the same time. You are not pedalling for yourself but for the team,” he said.
“In Penang, we are training on the sea so it’s more challenging for us because here the water is quiet and shallow, so it’s a little bit different we have to paddle harder, not faster. So it’s quite different,” Zhuang added.
Meanwhile, in the women’s category, the central province of Quang Tri’s team won the final, while Thai Nguyen finished second.
In the non-professional group, the teams come from districts, wards and towns of Ha Noi like Ba Vi, Bac Tu Liem, Dan Phuong, Thanh Tru, and Ung Hoa.
Ung Hoa District won the men’s final, winning VND20 million ($864), while Chuong My District won the women’s event.
Nguyen Van Thanh from Ung Hoa team, told Viet Nam News, "I was super excited when I saw that our team was the winner. We come from a small rural area of Ha Noi and are mostly manual workers yet today we have the chance to compete here in the capital and win the competition. Nothing can compare to this pleasure of being the winner." — VNS
OVietnam