Sarawak Regatta 2024: Puteri Dang Balai Yayasan Sarawak crowned ‘King of the River’ third time running

KUCHING (Nov 3): Puteri Dang Balai Yayasan Sarawak accomplished an impressive hat-trick at the Sarawak Regatta 2024, securing the ‘Raja Sungai’ (King of the River) title for the third consecutive year.

The team triumphed over 15 competitors in the 30-Paddler Men’s Bidar (traditional wooden boat) Raja Sungai category, claiming both the RM30,000 prize and the prestigious TYT Cup.

Despite limited training time — just 20 days on the Batang Sadong river — the group demonstrated their strength and determination under head coach Mahmud Anon.

“We trained according to the tides, especially during high tide. Most of our paddlers are from Kampung Sungai Ladong and Kampung Tebelu,” he shared when met by reporters at the Kuching Waterfront here today.

The final race saw a nail-biting competition with Puteri Dang Balai’s boat number 28 clocking in at 7 minutes 8 seconds, narrowly edging out Landas Azam Kasihnya Warisan 1’s boat number 9, which finished at 7 minutes 9 seconds.

Team manager Nazri Jamali was overjoyed by their achievement.

“Securing this hat-trick is truly special. Our goal now is to continue defending the championship,” he remarked.

Nazri noted that the team fielded 32 entries overall, with a total of 180 paddlers competing across categories.

Yayasan Sarawak’s paddlers also secured first place in the Men’s Open International 30-Paddler Bidar Marathon (3km) and the Men’s Open Borneo 30-Paddler Bidar category, bringing home the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) Trophy.

Notably, the Raja Sungai category, traditionally open to all, was reserved exclusively for local participants for the first time this year.