FRESH OFF their World Rowing Indoor Championships (WRICH) campaign last February, the Ateneo Rowing Team (ART) competed and gained more international exposure as they participated at the 2024 Nanjing International Universities Rowing Regatta. The intercollegiate event, comprising eight invited teams from all over the world, took place from April 13 to 14 in Nanjing, China.

The ART was represented by a selection of eight rowers and a coxswain who all participated as an 8+ sweep rowing boat unit in the Invitational Regatta. The octet of Joseph Andaya, Lucas Bernardo, Janno Chanyungco, Nico Duque, Aaron Dy, Jasper Go, Shaun Tan, and Juancho Villaflor, along with coxswain Emilia Abalos, all took part in the competition. In the end, the team finished in eighth place in the 2x1000m race and ended up at seventh in the 2x2000m bump race exhibition.

2 x 1000m Race

Led by Men’s Team Captain Chanyungco, the eight-man team valiantly powered through the waters of the Qinhuai River. Women’s skipper Abalos acted as the coxswain for the squad, steering the boat and providing support for the rowers. Kicking off their Nanjing stint, the ART finished the first round of the race in eighth with a time of 4:22.13. 

In a concerted effort to perform better in the second and last round of the 2x1000m race, the team polished their form as they improved by almost 14 seconds, clocking at 4:08.89. However, the slow start proved to be too much to stage a possible comeback as the ART ultimately settled for eighth place with a total time of 8:31.02. 

Taking advantage of their experience in rowing on the waters of Qinhuai, host team Nanjing University Alliance bagged the championship as they successfully defended their home turf. The eightsome of Wang Yeyang, Li Hanqi, Bao Wenxuan, Wang Chenhao, Zhong Hongyong, Sun Simiao, Chen Suhai, and Bai Han, together with coxswain Liu Yuhan rowed superbly. The group finished with outstanding times of 3:16.05 and 3:22.28 to finish with an overall time of 6:38.33. The Chinese Culture University secured second place, posting a total time of 6:49.28, while the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia finished at a close third with an overall result of 6:51.24.

2 x 2000m Bumps Race Exhibition

With a chance to gain more experience battling against world-class collegiate rowers, the ART also participated in the 2x2000m Bumps Race. The group improved one place higher compared to the 2x1000m contest as they finished in the seventh spot to cap off their campaign in Nanjing. 

Despite being an exhibition race, the ART treated the event just like any other race as it provided more international competition and exposure for the team. Spending time in the waters is especially important for the team as seven out of the eight rowers in the squad just had their first ever water competition. 

Regardless of the result, Chanyungco believes that the rookies displayed their ability to improve rapidly, despite the limited preparation beforehand. They were also tested against much more experienced rowers but still fought valiantly. 

“The team was able to garner a negative split time of 14 seconds between our first and second races. That is a huge testament to how they have quickly improved in that particular moment of immense pressure, and we were also exposed to how tough the competition is with the other universities, which is a huge part of our learning experience here,” said the men’s skipper and the lone veteran in the boat.

Chanyungco also noted that with the rookies’ impressive performance in the competition, the future looks bright for the ART. 

“Now that we have members who gained experience competing in a big stage like this, they can already share what they’ve learned to the rest of the team and use these lessons to set the standards higher for the squad,” added the 5 BS Management student.

The ART, which is the sole university-based rowing crew in the country, was supported by the Philippine Rowing Association and sponsored by Allianz PNB Life Insurance and Megasoft Hygienics Inc. in their Nanjing International Universities Rowing stint. With the conclusion of the two-day competition, the squad is hopeful to participate in more international events in the future.