A young Taiwanese dragon boat crew is turning heads on the international stage.
Hualien Physical Education High School has already captured two gold medals at the 15th International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships in Hualien — and the team is now chasing a third title before the global competition ends Sunday.
The school’s Premier Open 10-person small-boat crew secured its second gold medal Friday at Liyu Lake, winning the 200-meter final in 46.56 seconds despite rain and choppy water.
The Taiwanese crew finished 0.84 seconds ahead of Germany, adding another world title to the gold it captured earlier in the competition.
But the biggest prize may still be ahead.
Team captain Lin Sheng-ju, a 2018 Asian Games dragon boat gold medalist, said the squad is now looking toward the 2,000-meter race, where it hopes to complete a three-title run.
Two gold medals — and one more race to go
Hualien Physical Education High School opened its medal campaign Wednesday by winning the Premier Open 10-person small-boat 500-meter final.
The team clocked 2 minutes, 5.03 seconds, beating Germany’s Neckardrachen by more than three seconds.
According to the Hualien County Government, the crew had already topped its morning preliminary heat in 2:06.24 before producing an even faster performance in the final.
Two days later, the team added the 200-meter gold.
It had also been the fastest crew in the preliminary round, recording 46.54 seconds, before finishing the final in 46.56 seconds.
That consistency has made Hualien one of the standout crews of the championships.
Now comes the ultimate test: the 2,000-meter race.
A world championship comes to Taiwan for the first time
The team’s performance is taking place at an especially significant edition of the competition.
The 15th IDBF Club Crew World Championships are being held at Liyu Lake in Hualien from August 29 to September 6, 2026.
It is the first time the IDBF’s flagship club world championship has been staged in Taiwan, bringing thousands of athletes and supporters from around the world to Hualien.
The IDBF says the event is expected to welcome more than 5,500 participants, while Hualien County officials had projected close to 6,000 elite athletes from 21 countries for the event.
The championships are regarded as one of the sport’s biggest international club competitions.
Unlike national-team world championships, the CCWC brings together club, school and independent crews, allowing athletes who normally compete together at the club level to represent their teams on a global stage.
More than just a 200-meter sprint
Dragon boat racing is a sport built around synchronization, power and precision.
At the Hualien championships, crews compete in 10-person small boats and 20-person standard boats, with races covering 200 meters, 500 meters and 2,000 meters.
The event also includes open, women’s, mixed and age-group divisions, as well as ParaDragon and cancer-survivor categories.
That means the competition is not simply about speed.
Every stroke has to be synchronized, while the drummer establishes the rhythm and the steerer controls the boat’s direction.
On Friday, Hualien’s crew had to deal with rain and rougher water conditions, making its narrow victory over Germany even more significant.
Hualien is putting Taiwan on the global dragon boat map
The championships are also part of a larger effort to establish Hualien as an international sporting destination.
County officials upgraded facilities around Liyu Lake ahead of the competition, including a new finish tower designed to meet international competition standards.
The local government has also promoted the event as an opportunity to bring international athletes into Hualien and generate activity for the region’s tourism, accommodation and food businesses.
For the young Hualien athletes, however, the focus remains on the water.
They have already collected two world championship gold medals.
Now they have one more opportunity to make the home crowd remember their name.
Can Hualien make it three?
The answer will come in the 2,000-meter event before the championships conclude on September 6.
A third gold would give Hualien Physical Education High School an extraordinary three-title haul at a world championship being held on home waters for the first time.
Two victories have already made the team one of the stories of CCWC 2026.
One final race could turn an impressive championship into an unforgettable one.
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