Debutants Team Kiber Sambas from Kalimantan Barat

Debutants Team Kiber Sambas from Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia clinched the Sabah 'Head of State Trophy' in the 26th Sabah Dragon Boat Race at Likas Bay here today, ending the reign of three time consecutive champion Pertubuhan Peladang Tuaran.

Kiber Sambas finished the race in 3 minutes 14 seconds, followed by National Team Brunei Darussalam A with a time of 3:18 while Penang Forward Sports Club clocked 3:21 to finish third.

The champion received RM4,000 and medals, presented by the Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin himself.

Another Indonesian team, Podsi Kalbar A (Kalimantan Barat), also finished first place in the Men Team Open 200 Meter Race category, recording 57 seconds seconds, a mere second faster than runner-up Tanjung Papat Sandakan while Persatuan Nelayan Lentuong who clocked 60 seconds finished third.

Head of Indonesia's Rowers Association (PODSI) Abdi Norkamil Mawardi, 38, who directed both the Indonesian teams, said it was a meaningful victory for them since they had only started participating in the competition this year.

"Last year we wanted to come, but we had prior commitments with a national race back home," he said.

However despite being new to the scene, they had full confidence in their own abilities as they have been participating and performing well in other races all the while, said Abdi.

Meanwhile, for the Sabah Chief Minister's Trophy, Tanjung Papat Sandakan won first place with a time of 3:17s, followed by Pendatang Baru (3:19s) and Shangri-La's Rasa Ria B (3:20s).

Sabah Dragon Trophy (International and Malaysian Mix Team) was won by Kampung Nelayan 1 with a time of 3:34s while Dragon City DBKL (3:36s) were second and Batik Mengkabong (3:37s) finished third.

The Kinabalu Dragon Trophy (Under-20) was won by Myteam Awat-Awat (3:20s), followed by Persatuan Nelayan Kawasan Tuaran (3:25s) and Belia Darau Village Junior B (3:26s).
Two other remaining categories were Mix Team Open 200 Meter Race which was won by Penang Forward Sports Club (1:01s) while the Charity Race was won by Shangri-La's Rasa Ria B.