THE ATENEO Rowing Team celebrated the Blue and White overseas, bagging third-place podium finishes in both the Women’s Open 4-Final and the Men’s Open 8+ Final at the 41st Hong Kong Rowing Championships (HKRC) on September 21 and 22, 2019 at the Shing Mun River in Sha Tin, Hong Kong.
Prior to this contest, the Ateneo Rowing Team already boasted a series of triumphs abroad. They racked up a number of silver and bronze medals from the Malaysia Varsity Boat Race and the 14th Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Championship in 2018, as well as the 15th CUHK Championship that took place earlier this year.
At HKRC, the Blue Eagles produced impressive showings from the get go. The Men’s Open 4x team composed of Justin Umali, Emmanuel Joseph Obaña, Richard Dela Rosa, and Joseph Eric Roque advanced to the finals on the first day of the competition. They recorded a time of 06:55.51, earning them third place in the Men’s Open 4x Repechage.
Men’s Rowing Team Captain Pao Reganit also had a standout individual performance, ranking third in Heat 4 of the Men’s Open 1x with a time of 09:07.31. Reganit just missed out on a spot in the finals after falling 13 seconds short of third in the Men’s Open 1x Repechage.
With day one behind them, both crew teams seemed to wake up refreshed for the second and last day of the competition. The Men’s Open 4x Final was a nail-biting affair as the group of Umali, Obaña, Dela Rosa, and Roque raced neck-and-neck with the Sha Tin Grace Rowing Club. Despite their valiant efforts, the Blue Eagles could not fend off their competitors and finished fourth—just two seconds behind the bronze-medalist team.
Luckily, things played out differently for the Lady Eagles. Mireille Qua, Patricia Camarista, Danielle Chua, and Shania Tengco secured the first bronze medal of the competition for their squad, finishing with a time of 07:57.94 in the Women’s Open 4- Final.
Umali, Obaña, Dela Rosa, and Roque got a chance at redemption in the Men’s Open 8+ Final, this time alongside teammates Joachim De Jesus, Hal Abrera, Lanz Caballa, Andrei Torres, and Daniel Cuajunco.
Just before the event, De Jesus said that they all recognized the pressure they were under. “We knew that we were going up against national rowing associations and elite rowing clubs, both of which have thrice the experience and quality of training we have,” said De Jesus.
Despite the gulf in quality, the crew of Blue Eagles confidently cruised to their second bronze medal of the competition with a time of 07:00.66.
At the end of their international stint, Reganit shared that the feat led to a surplus of emotions experienced throughout the entire team. “It was a fulfilling, overwhelming, joyful, hopeful, proud, and heart-warming experience. To see my [teammates] achieve something that hasn’t been achieved in the team before was an irreplaceable feeling that I will cherish forever,” beamed Reganit.
Despite the team’s milestone performance, Reganit admits that their job is not yet done. Moving forward, the Ateneo Rowing Team is determined to push their boundaries. “Our ultimate goal of becoming the overall champions in the Varsity Boat Race this coming November is not yet accomplished. Thus, we will not settle with this achievement and aim to make history in the sport for the school and the country,” asserted Reganit.
