The final day of the DBS Marina Regatta saw fierce competition as dragon boaters raced against time in the 200-metre final. Reigning champions, the DBS Bank women’s team, successfully defended their title in the DBS Corporate Women race.
Eveline Lau, Captain of DBS Asia Dragons Ladies’ Team said, “We’re beyond happy that we defended our title! The team has been training very hard for 10 months and thanks to their commitment and discipline, we have emerged victorious.”
She added, “This year’s DBS Marina Regatta featured 200-metre sprints, which meant that besides physical strength and endurance, paddlers had to adapt to the water and wind conditions in a matter of seconds. The team had to work together to synchronise our strokes and follow the pacers closely to get the fastest speed possible.”
Go For Gold Dragonboat from The Philippines won the DBS Premier Mixed and DBS Premier Women categories. Other winners included Kembangan – Chai Chee Community Sports Club in DBS Premier Open and Team Mushu of Hong Kong Disneyland in DBS Corporate Open.
Christian Mesina, captain of Team Mushu of Hong Kong Disneyland, who won the DBS Corporate Open category said: “This win is unexpected! This is my first time as a captain and there are many newbies in the team, and we just wanted to give our best and enjoy as a team. That is all that mattered to us. Of course, we are very excited that our focus and training led us to win the race.”
DBS Marina Regatta 2019 saw more than 100 dragon boat teams battle it out at Marina Bay over two days for a combined prize purse of S$115,000, the largest for a dragon boating competition in Asia. This year’s competition featured the most global line-up of teams from eight countries including Canada, Australia, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Brunei and Singapore.
Building on DBS’ mission to go green, this year’s three-day DBS Marina Regatta featured Singapore’s largest eco-maze, Race the Maze, as well as hands-on workshops and showcases by social enterprises to educate the public on ways to be more eco-friendly. Attendees also indulged in local hawker fare using reusable cutlery and were serenaded by local buskers whose performances were powered by dynamo-fitted bicycles.
