GB Premier Women's Dragon Boat at the 2007 World Championships

Five members of the Exe-Calibre Dragon Boat Club in Exeter will represent Great Britain at the World Dragon Boat Championships in Prague next week.

Lisa Hayes, 41, and Lauren Reid, 25, have been selected for the premier women's crew, with Chrissie Hunt, 41, in the senior mixed crew.

Stephen Donohue, 22 is in the GB open crew with 18-year-old Scott White in the junior team.

The Championships run from 26-30 August and will be held in Racice, Prague.

Selection for the five Exeter athletes has come off the back of months of solid training on the River Exe.

Hayes told BBC Spotlight: "Dragon boat racing requires a high level of fitness, hours and hours of training through the winter and, in the main, teamwork."

This dedication to the cause is echoed by Reid, who joins Haynes in the premier women's crew.

"I trained all winter from October right through until June, getting my strength and power up," said Reid.

"Even six months ago I wasn't sure that I'd get selected and so it's amazing that I could be competing for my county at a sport that I didn't really know much about four years ago."

The 25-year-old added: "It's just exciting, I love it."

The British competitors will be up against teams from countries right across the globe, including Australia, Canada, Japan, and most significantly China, where the sport originated more than 2,000 years ago.

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