Margot travelled to Penang in Malaysia to compete in the championships with a team of women and men from Dragons Abreast Sydney, a dragon boat crew made up mainly of women who have survived breast cancer.

Their husbands also paddle.

The team had earned a right to compete in the championships after they placed in the top two during the national titles.

Margot won the bronze as a member of a 10 person team in a composite crew with a group of Malaysian women during a 500m race.

However the bronze medal was not the main excitement for Margot and the team.

During the minor finals the Dragons Abreast Sydney women were hit by a Canadian team dragon boat, a first for Margot.

“I was drummer for this race so perched high up at the front of the boat,” Margot said.

“It was really quite something; I held onto the seat and just thought I wasn’t going in the water.”

While accidents have occurred during the men’s competition, this was a first for the women.

The Sydney team discovered the following day they had been declared the winners of the race because they had taken evasive action.

“The actual competition was very tough; its no picnic when you get to that standard,” Margot said.

Four thousand athletes from 23 countries around the world competed in two divisions, the World Club Crew Championships and the Asian Pacific Championships, during the four day competition.

Dragon Boat racing is one of the world’s fastest growing sports with a large number of breast cancer survivors participating.

Competing for the past eight years this was Margot’s last time participating in international competition.