Hosts Philippines dominated the second day of the 2024 International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Championships, winning eight of the 16 gold medals on offer.  

The fans who braved mild showers at the Puerto Princesa Baywalk thoroughly enjoyed the action as the home team also reached the final of the 10-seater mixed 200m, one of the races that will be considered in the quest for a spot at the Chengdu 2025 World Games.     

The three semi-finals of the 10-seater mixed 200m saw the top two teams qualify for the A Final, with the Asian nations putting on a show.  

Myanmar and Indonesia went through as the fastest nations with timings of 49.18 and 49.23, respectively, followed by Chinese Taipei in 50.52. 

Among Europeans, Spain were the fastest, clocking 51.72, followed by the Philippines and Hungary, who were sensational in the 10-seater mixed 2000m on day one.  

The action on day two showcased the talent and calibre of Asia in Dragon Boat, with Thailand winning four gold medals. Ukraine, Canada, Iran and AIN won one title each.  

The 20-seater mixed 200m and the masters over 40 20-seater mixed 200m were the first wins of the day for the hosts, who won close races with timings of 47.07 and 49.41, respectively. 

The masters over 40 20-seater open 200 belonged to the host nation, as they clocked a total time of 1:38.94, ahead of Hungary and Singapore, before going on to win the masters over 40 20-seater women's 200m. 

The other gold medals for the Philippines came in the 10-seater junior mixed 200m, masters over 50 10-seater women's 200m, masters over 40 20-seater women's 500m and masters over 40 20-seater open 500m. 

Thailand humbled the Philippines in the 20-seater open 200m, winning by seven seconds, with hosts taking silver and Hong Kong bagging bronze.   

The 20-seater women's 200m saw the Thai stars cruise to victory in 49.41, beating AIN and the Philippines.  

Thailand added two more titles in the 20-seater open 500m and 20-seater women's 500m. They pipped the home stars in two entertaining races, with an overall time of 1:49.69 and 4:03.64, respectively.  

Ukraine showed grit and determination to maintain the pace to take the masters over 50 10-seater mixed 200m title in 1:51.23, with Singapore winning silver and Sweden settling for bronze.  

Canada and Iran triumphed in the junior races, with the former winning the 10-seater junior open 200m, as Philippines finished second and India third.  

The Iranians came out on top in the 10-seater junior women's 200m, with the Philippines finishing second and India taking bronze again.  

The masters over 50 10-seater open 200m gold medal belonged to AIN, who managed to cross the line in 1:49.67. 

Full coverage of this week's event can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.

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