Honda took the Dragonboat race title in Columbus, Ohio last month.

The annual race held in advance of the Columbus Asian Festival, held Memorial Day weekend, has long drawn Honda teams to this competition. Three Honda teams from Honda of America Mfg. and Honda R&D Americas competed and the Honda III team won the competition with Honda I coming in third. Honda’s team beat out 20 other teams from the Central Ohio region.

Tian Zhang, the Dream Boat’s team captain and an engineer at Honda’s East Liberty Plant has been with Honda for just over a year, and has been looking for ways to get connected with other associates. He said this is exactly the type of activity he’s been looking for.

“It is physically challenging, it has a cultural aspect and most importantly, it requires a team to work together for success,” he said. “I was proud to have my Honda shirt on that day. I’m so happy to see the deep connection between Honda and our local communities.”

He encourages other associates to join a team in 2019. “You really need to be in the race to know how intense, exciting and fun it is!”

The Asian Festival draws more than 100,000 visitors annually and promotes the importance of cultural diversity in building a vibrant, prosperous and healthy community.