PH rower Joanie Delgaco falls short of outright quarterfinal berth, drops to repechage

MANILA, Philippines – Filipina rower Joanie Delgaco ran out of steam and fell short of an outright quarterfinal berth in the women’s single sculls in the Paris Olympics after placing fourth in Heat 2 on Saturday, July 27.

Delgaco, who opened Team Philippines’ campaign, missed out on a top-three finish that merits a spot in the quarterfinals as she failed to sustain a promising start and finished with a time of 7 minutes and 56.26 seconds.

Two-time world champion Karolien Florijn of the Netherlands, who is tipped to win the gold medal, coolly topped the heat with a 7:36.90 clocking.

Switzerland’s Aurelia-Maxima Katharina Janzen (7:41.15) and Slovenia’s Nina Kostanjsek (7:46.30) wound up at second and third, respectively.

The Philippines’ first female rower to qualify for the Olympics, Delgaco got off to a strong start and ranked third through the first half of the 2,000m race before being overtaken by Kostanjsek.

Delgaco crossed the 1,000m mark with a time of 3:50.76 but needed 15 seconds more to complete the second half, which spelled the difference.

But it is not the end of the road for Delgaco as she hopes to bounce back on Sunday, July 28, in the repechage, where the top two will advance to the quarterfinals.

Algeria’s Nihed Benchadli (8:06.62) and Morocco’s Majdouline El Allaoui (8:30.47) will also see action in the repechage after finishing the heat at fifth and sixth, respectively. – Rappler.com