It was another sporting first place for Lancaster University at the weekend when Team Dragon Boat paddled to success.
Lancaster University won the annual North West England Confucius Dragon Boat Regatta 2025, held at Salford Watersports Centre on Salford Quays, for the very first time.
The Lancaster team of 19 students and staff from across many University departments was captained by second year student Daisy Lord.
They beat off a stiff challenge from Edge Hill University and the University of Liverpool in the grand finale, having won both their heats against the University of Sheffield and St Mary's Catholic High School and Sixth Form College, Wigan respectively. Other teams in the competition were from the University of Manchester and the University of Lancashire.
Director of the Confucius Institute Dr Derek Hird said: "This is the first time Lancaster has won this event, so we are all very chuffed! Our team did an amazing job."
Dr Hird described a mid-race drama during the final, when one Lancaster competitor's paddle broke in half! Undeterred, he kept paddling with half a paddle, and despite this setback, the team triumphed.
"The victory was all the more remarkable given that the team had only met and trained for the first time on Friday evening at Liverpool Watersports Centre, where we engaged in intensive training and built an amazing team spirit," added Dr Hird.
"In the end, it was the team spirit that shone through on Sunday, with all our paddlers working in unison and reaching deep to find that extra something to turbo charge our boat to victory."
Dragon Boat racing is a sporting event with a history dating back more than 2,000 years.
The race is managed by 4Dragons, an affiliated member of the governing body of the sport, the British Dragon Boat Racing Association, (BDA).
The victory comes hot on the heels of last month's Roses victory when Lancaster University students defeated rivals from the University of York in the famous annual sporting tournament for the fourth year in a row.
