FOUR ATENEANS who represented the Philippines returned from Putrajaya, Malaysia carrying the bronze medal in the UNITEN (Universiti Tenaga Nasional) Rowing International 2008 held last August 5-11.

Martin Yambao (III AB Eu), Antonio Rodrigo Salud (II AB Eco-H), Jeffrey Sajot (IV BS LM) and Paolo Encarnacion (IV AB Hum) composed the four-man team sent to compete in the Men’s (4-) Fours. The 2000-meter race consisted of the three heats, beginning with the preliminary, semifinals, and championship round.

Although Hong Kong and Malaysia won gold and silver, respectively, the Philippine team proved to be a formidable opponent, as they bested the competition in the preliminary round.

“There were a lot of factors that we had to adjust to, the waters [here in the Philippines] are still, compared to those in Malaysia, that are very windy and wavy,” Yambao said.

Led by Coach James Dee, the Ateneo delegates also saw friendly but heated action against their Japanese and Singaporean counterparts.

“I wasn’t so sure how we would do at first, but after a while, we began to tell ourselves that we can…match up with the best of them,” Yambao added.

The team originally fielded in eight members to compete but left one by one due to commitment issues. The remaining four is set to return to Malaysia in October for the Varsity Boat Race 2008.
Salud noted that the team can still do better. “I’m not satisfied. Then again, you never know. That’s why we’re planning to go back.”

The Ateneo rowing team continues to hold their practices at the La Mesa Dam and Pasig River, and are going to send female representatives for the upcoming tournament.

Sajot, who won silver with the team a year before, remains optimistic. “Third time’s the charm.”