Triple medal success for GB dragon boat paddlers from the University of Central Lancashire

Ian Carrie and Tony Dickson, who competed in the Senior A category (over 40s) at the EDBF Championships in Spain, won medals in all three events they competed in-the 200m and 500m sprints and a 2km pursuit race.

The duo, who are senior staff within UCLan’s Learning and Technical Resources’ team, were part of a 14 strong squad which competed in the tournament earlier this month.

It was due to take place in Kyiv but was moved to Catalonia for safety.

Ian, 52, from Penwortham, said: “We were determined to represent our country and to wear the Team GB kit and to achieve that was amazing but winning three bronze medals was an added bonus.

“It’s taken a long time to get to this stage, so it was a very proud moment when the medals were put around our necks and there were a few tears shed.”

Tony, 47, from Tarleton, added: “We certainly punched above our weight to win three bronze medals and that makes me even more proud of what we achieved as a team. It really shows what you can do with hard work, determination and a great team ethic.”

The pair got into dragon boat racing when part of a UCLan Learning and Information Services team which competed in the 2012 UK Corporate Games, held in Preston.

They picked up victories competing in a number of future Corporate Games and Preston City Games while also racing for the UCLan Confucius Institutes.

They went on to train with Preston Dragons, but later moved to Liverpool-based Amathus to work with coaches who had paddled for and coached Team GB.

During the pandemic, the determined duo continued to train with the team doing Zoom sessions in their garages and undertaking regular individual training in converted racing kayaks.

Ian added: “It’s been a massive commitment to train for such an event and thankfully that hard work has paid off with the medals but it’s meant we’ve had to sacrifice time with our families and fit training round full-time jobs.

“We’re going to take a year off, as we achieved what we set out to achieve, and then see what happens.”