The 13th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships ended on Oct 22 in Kunming, Yunnan province, after around 2,800 athletes from over 20 countries took part in five days of competitive racing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Wu Guochong, 53, from Foshan city in Guangdong province, has been the coach of the Jiujiang city and Liaocheng University dragon boat teams since 2011.

He began dragon boating at a very young age, and took to dragon boat racing at the age of 17.

Wu says that in recent years the increasing number of local races have helped to promote the sport.

He says that the average age of his team members is about 22, while a large number of them fall in the 18-20 age group.

At the age of 23, Meng Xiangwei from Baicheng in Jilin province, is seen as a veteran of the sport.

A member of the Northeast Dianli University team, he has participated in over 40 different dragon boat events.

Very few people, not even his parents, know that he is a keen competitor.