Hard work pays off for 2014 regatta winners

The leader of a contingent from Lawas, the Putera Kuala Lawas, Damit Ali Hasan holding the trophy after his team won in the 30-rowers Marathon event. Photo: Waqiuddin Rajak/The Brunei Times

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Mar 3, 2014: Winners of the Regata Brunei Darussalam 2014 are symbols that hard work, dedication and practice paid off when it came to mastering the waters of the Brunei River.

The regatta crowned its winners yesterday and for some teams, they went home big.

Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Gamta Brunei Darussalam and Ministry of Defence were some of the teams that managed to capture the spectators’ attention.

The Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources placed first in three categories: The 25 rowers traditional boat race between ministries, 15 rowers fibreglass boat race between ministries and 20 rowers fibreglass boat race between ministries.

Their 30 rowers team also placed second after it was defeated in a tight competition with first place winner, Putera Kuala Lawas in the 30 rowers Marathon traditional boat race.

Team manager of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources team, Hj Kaseh Hj Yusuf told The Brunei Times that their wins made the training all worth it.

“The training that we have done, both on land and on water proved to be fruitful. The exposure that we received through our participation in boat races outside Brunei in Singapore, Kuching and Limbang also helped. Alhamdulilah we are very satisfied with the results,” he said.

The 30 member team underwent three months training since November.

Hj Kaseh added that the participation of the Minister of Industry and Primary resources, YB Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar as a team member was also a boost to the team spirit.

Meanwhile, the team manager of Putera Kuala Lawas, Damit Ali Hasan expressed his joy as his team won the 30 paddlers marathon race, earning them His Majesty’s trophy.

He said that since they were defeated last year, they had been putting in more effort and winning the trophy yesterday made their training worthwhile.

source: The Brunei Times