Paddlers compete

Docklands-based dragon boat teams have battled it out for victory at two racing events over the past month.

Melbourne’s largest club, the Melbourne Flames made club history at the Australian National Championships in Penrith last month.

The team won a medal in every event it entered, a feat it had never achieved before.

The Flames brought home 10 medals, including six gold, two of which were won in the Trans-Tasman championships against New Zealand.

According to Melbourne Flames captain Georgina Wakim, the team competed against over 100 other clubs made up of 3000 individual competitors.

Ms Wakim put the team’s success down to its close-knit nature.

“We are such a closely-connected team, we believe in each other, we respect each other and we trust each other in a way that I’ve never experienced before,” Ms Wakim said.

“It was such an overwhelming result. Once upon a time we would have been thrilled just to make a final,” she said.

The success at the national event followed the team’s winning streak at the Melbourne International Dragon Boat Festival (also known as the Victorian State Championships) held in Docklands last month.

The team took out every event it entered at the festival, winning the 500 metres in three divisions, the 200 metres in four divisions and the 2000 metres mixed premiers sweeps race. Other Docklands-based teams also had success at the Victorian and Australian championships.

The Dragon Masters brought home two golds, a silver and a bronze from small boat racing events at the Australian championship.

They also won gold in the mixed grand masters 500 metres and a silver in the mixed masters 200 metre race at the state championship.

Local clubs the Yarra River Dragons, Southern Storm and CYSM Sea Dragons also competed and had varying levels of success in both events.