The national dragon boat team undoubtedly belongs to the honor roll this year following its impressive showing in the prestigious 2012 International Canoe Federation-World Dragon Boat Championships in Milan, Italy.

The Filipino paddlers won a total of six gold and one silver medals to claim the overall championship title in the tournament participated in by powerhouse teams from Russia, Australia, US, Germany, Hungary and Poland.

They dominated the Open category men’s 200-meter 10 paddlers, mixed 20 (12 men, eight women), mixed 10 race (six men, four women) 10 mixed 500 meter, 10-men 2,000m and 10-men 500m race then added a silver medal in the 20 mixed 500m race.

“It only proved that the Filipino athletes are world-class athletes. With proper training and enough support, we could really be at par with these strong teams especially those from Europe,” said Philippine Canoe-Kayak Federation head coach Len Escollante.

Last year, the dragon boat team sanctioned by the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) also reigned supreme in the International Dragon Boat Federation IDBF 10th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships held in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The PDBF squad claimed five golds—Premier Open 500-meter event, 1000-meter men’s event, Premier Mixed 500-meter, Premier 200-meter Mixed and Premier Men’s 200-meter, and two silvers—200-meter All-Comers Men’s class at All-Comers Premier Mixed 500-meter.

Some club teams also made their presence felt in international scene including the Filipino Dragons which paddled its way to three golds and one bronze in the 8th Singapore Sava Sprints International dragon boat championships and one silver and two bronzes in the 30th Singapore River Regatta 2012.

The Philippine Army dragon boat team, for its part, won one gold in the 10th Padang International Dragon Boat Festival in Indonesia and another gold in the 2012 Penang International Dragon Boat Festival in Malaysia.