Edwards jumps from martial arts mat to dragon boat

Kenneth Edwards, Jamaica’s first taekwondo Olympian, historically competing at London 2012, on Saturday waded into the trend of national athletes switching sporting disciplines, competing in his first-ever dragon-boat tournament as part of Jamaica’s contingent to the 5th Annual Bahamas International Dragon Boat Festival at Goodman's Bay in Nassau, Bahamas.

Edwards, now 40, spent years as one of Jamaica’s foremost martial artists, crisscrossing International Taekwon-do Federation, Olympic World International Taekwondo Federation, kickboxing, Jamaica’s combined martial arts team, and karate.

Similar to track and field athlete Tyquendo Tracey, who successfully switched from chevron to ice, Edwards is confident his experience as a marquee athlete will result in success on the water for Jamaica, who posted their best-ever time in dragon-boat racing, 1:01.82, in Sunday’s final of the mixed 200-metre event.

“Having competed individually as a martial artist for years and being on the combined team for most of those years, the exposure to dragon-boat racing has been very interesting for me because it is 100 per cent a team sport,” said Edwards.

“Unlike martial arts, which is dependent on your individual skill and technique, this is a perfect blend of skill and teamwork,” he noted.

“Athleticism is a percentage of what is required, a strong element of physicality involved, but the true test comes from being able to be one with everyone on the boat, maintaining composure and technique when the pressure is high,” Edwards added.

Hoping to attain sub-minute times for both open and mixed teams at Jamaica’s Dragon Boat Festival, June 12-13, with eyes on Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) for the International Dragon Boat Federation’s Club Crew World Championships, August 29-September 6, Edwards could be key to Jamaica’s ambitions for a major international medal in a non-traditional sport.

“At this point in my sporting life, I am more than happy to be a part of the team. I am very much looking forward to sharing my experience as a competitor of many decades. Individually, I won’t have the pressure of being a clutch rower but, instead, contributing equally as everybody on the boat.

“It is all about making those 10 paddles become one. In martial arts, we say we create balance in one’s self. Dragon-boat racing, also an Asian sport, requires all athletes on the boat to create balance as one. In martial arts, balance is individual whereas in dragon boat, the balance is collective.”