Karapaw win Melaka dragon boat race

Daily Express

a day ago

Published on: Saturday, June 28, 2025
Published on: Sat, Jun 28, 2025
By: GL Oh Text Size: The Karapaw team members with the winning trophies. Kota Kinabalu: Karapaw women team captured the 200m women's 12 title at the 40th Melaka International Dragon Boat Festival 2025 held on June 21-22 at the Melaka River. They took home the RM3,000 winning cash prize after finishing ahead of a very strong field in the final race. The team managed by Mariannie Lambert was led and coached by Tonny Gudang with Siti Sakinah as women captain and Jimmy David as steerer. The team members were Dyana Lambert, Rebecca Augustine, Doris Lambert, Cynthia Paulin, Masni Deri, Mariana Erlangga, Laura Gudang, Barbara Gloria, Malindah Sharifuddin, Siti Nursyafikah Lombo and Marcie Londoh. Rebecca Augustine, who is the official spokesperson for the team, said the victory in the 200m event held on the second day was not an easy affair. 'We only came second in the first heat, just milliseconds behind KL Barbarians. However, we managed to bounce in the repechage to qualify for the semi-finals, where we once again had a close battle with KL Barbarians. 'In the final stage, we faced more strong teams including KL Barbarians, Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and ZWL Phoenix. With every passionate ride, we finally emerged as the women's 200m champions, taking home the trophy and it was a priceless victory for the team,' she said. They also took part in the marathon 8,000m open category on the opening day and were placed 16th out of 20 teams. 'We were the only all-female team competing against the men's and mixed teams in the race. Although the opposing teams' physiques and strategies were vastly different, we rowed with full energy and enthusiasm led by drummer Cynthia Paulin and skipper Jimmy David, and managed to finish the race in 43:31.05, just five minutes behind the champions.' Rebecca added that they are proud to elevate the identity of Sabah by wearing ethnically patterned jerseys featuring Pinokol, Sinimpung and Linangkit motifs symbolising precision, strength and unity, completed with traditional head scarves featuring the Sabah Linangkit motif sponsored by Chanteek Borneo. According to her, their training routines started two years ago include crossfit exercises at Sabah Top Team Penampang in the past and at PX5 Express this year, while rowing takes place in Tuaran. They had recently also won the Kinabalu Phoenix Trophy in the women's 200m event at the Sabah FCAS Dragon Boat Race 2025 in May. Their next competition is at the 11th Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta 2025 to be held in Kuching on October 24-26. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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