Vancouver Island dragon boaters are set to compete this weekend at the 13th Annual World Nations Dragon Boat Championship in Kunming China.
Eight paddlers from the Gorging Dragons, a team out of Vancouver Island Paddling, were chosen to race on China’s Lake Dianchi, after a nation-wide search involving hundreds of athletes. Tom Arnold, Matthew Michealis and Michael Weirmeier of Victoria will join Joanne Cowan of Langford and Rob Stubbington of Saanich, for the five-day event widely considered the “Olympics” of dragon boating.
Gabby Kalaw, vice-president of VI Paddling is excited the club will be represented by so many high-calibre athletes. “The best part is that some of our athletes never imagined they’d be paddling for Canada when they first got into a dragon boat,” she said.
Patti Cross of the Cowichan Valley, Shari Woodside of Port McNeill and Jody Berry from Nanaimo are also in China, part of Canada’s nation team that will compete in the 200 metre, 500m, 1000m and 2000m races. While dragon boating is China’s sport, Canada has previously placed well at this event – in Hungary two years ago, Canada left with the highest medal count.
You can follow live race results online here. The World Nations Dragon Boat Championship runs Oct. 18-23.
