Down the river: The British team leads the way, followed by New Zealand, in the downriver race of the World Rafting Championship in the Citarik River, Sukabumi regency, West Java, on Monday
span class="caption">Down the river: The British team leads the way, followed by New Zealand, in the downriver race of the World Rafting Championship in the Citarik River, Sukabumi regency, West Java, on Monday. Twelve teams participated in the event, which spanned 13 kilometers.(JP/Arya Dipa)
Brazil retained the World Rafting Championship title in the men's category while host Indonesia had to settle with fourth place behind New Zealand and Japan on Monday.
On the last day of the 10-day competition at the Citarik River in Sukabumi regency, West Java, Brazil finished in second place behind New Zealand in the 13-kilometer down-river race.
The results, in which it was four seconds behind New Zealand's time of 49 minutes and 51 seconds, were enough for the Latin American team to retain its world title.
Brazil collected 352 points from the down-river race. Featuring professional rafting instructors, the team had already amassed 588 points from head-to-head, slalom and sprint.
The most prestigious down-river race carried the highest score among four events, according to ace director Amalia Yuni.
'The winner earns 400 points. It's the highest among other races,' she said, adding that it was the most-awaited race.
'The route length is defined according to the measured racing time of between 20 and 60 minutes. If it's too short, the participants will protest and if it's too long they will complain,' said Amalia, who has been a judge at six world championships.
Indonesia clocked on Monday 50 minutes and 11 seconds to finish in third place with 2013 runner-up Japan following behind in 50 minutes and 51 seconds.
Indonesia collected 316 points overall to end the competition in fourth place. It was ranked fourth in sprint, 10th in head-to-head and fifth in slalom.
In the women's category, Czech Republic emerged the winner, having beaten second-place New Zealand and third-place Japan.
The top three finishers overtook overnight leaders Slovakia and Britain.
Indonesia fell out of top 10, much against expectations. 'We prepared hard for the races but the opponents proved stronger. We expected to finish in the top ten,' team captain Putri Yuliana Sari said.
In the men's and women's master category, which featured participants over the age of 40, Indonesia finished in third place behind winner New Zealand and Czech Republic.
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