Updated: Mon Jun 17 2002 by Yiling
Saturday
Saturday was a glorious day for Safra dragons.
The men kicked off the day with a rousing start with their 2nd placing in the men's open heat, losing just 2 seconds to Tanjong Pagar CSC. This was followed shortly by the women's open event where our ladies fended off their opponents confidently to take 1st placing in their heat.One hour later, our mixed team(A) repeated the same feat, coming in 1st in their heat. Immediately after, our second mixed team (B) began their heats, keeping neck-to-neck with their competitors for more than half the race distance before conceding the race to their more experienced opponents. It was a gallant effort considering that most of the rowers were racing for the first time.
If the guys started the day rousing, they closed it with a mighty flourish. Our last race for the day was the men's Repecharge event which would determine which (men's) team gets into the semis. And our guys did us proud by not only finishing 1st but also winning the race by almost 3 boat lengths! Stunning! What a race! Guess who was grinning cheek-to-cheek all the way (Omar)?
So, after a day's racing, we got confirmed places in the men's semis, the women's finals and the mixed finals.
What a day! It's been a while since we came back to race on Sunday as traditionally, we have never been strong in the June race. But the best part was the unwavering support we had from families, friends and ex-rowers.
Sunday
It was the guys who rounded off Saturday with a big bang, but we have the ladies to thank for dishing out the icing on the cake on Sunday.
Early on, our guys beat 2 other teams to get into the men's finals. But we paid the price later on during the mixed finals because our men did not have sufficient time to recover from their earlier race as the race times were too close.
So, we lost the mixed finals by coming in 4th, but our ladies remained upbeat during their race. In a highly charged ending, they came up from behind the Canadians during the last 50m, sped past them with a well-synchronized and power-packed last burst and eventually beat them by a convincing ? boat length to get 2nd place. And weren't we all exhilarated by the win and no less the manner in which it was won!
Our last medal-hope of the day was the men's finals. But it was a tough race for it was the most competitive race. Our guys raced persistently to the finishing line, keeping neck-to-neck with the other 3 boats until the end but lost by a narrow margin (1 second or about 1 seat).
But what the hack! We have done our best. We have proven that with our team spirit and training, we veterans are still a force to be reckoned. Can't wait for the next race. Look out for us in the Regatta!