MANILA – Joanie Delgaco’s bid for a Paris Olympics medal ended in the quarterfinals of the women’s single sculls event at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Tuesday (30 July 2024).

Delgaco placed sixth in Heat 3 with a time of 7:58.3, slower than her previous runs. She had clocked 7:56.26 in the first round and 7:55 flat in the repechage heat, which secured her a spot in the quarterfinals.

Defending champion Emma Twigg of New Zealand led Heat 3 with 7:26.89, while Switzerland’s Katharina Janzen followed at 7:31.12. Spain’s Virginia Diaz clinched the final Division A semifinal spot with a late surge, finishing at 7:34.01, pushing Serbia’s Jovana Arsic to fifth.

Delgaco, Arsic, and fourth-place finisher Diana Dymchenko of Azerbaijan will compete in the Division C semifinals on Wednesday to conclude their campaigns.

Delgaco, from Iriga City, Camarines Sur, made history as the first female Filipino rower to qualify for the Olympics, following her fourth-place finish at the World Rowing Asian and Oceania Olympic Qualification in April. She joins Edgardo Maerina (1988 Seoul), Benjamin Tolentino Jr. (2000 Sydney), and Cris Nievarez (2020 Tokyo) as Filipino Olympians in rowing.

(el Amigo/mnm)

JOANIE Delgaco finished one notch short of a quarterfinal berth in the women’s single sculls of the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

She clocked 7 minutes and 56.26 seconds for fourth place in Heat 2, behind two-time world champion Karolien Florijn of the Netherlands (7:36.90), Aurelia-Maxima Katharina Janzen of Switzerland (7:41.15) and Nina Kostanjsek of Slovenia (7:46.30).

She will try again in the repechage, also at the at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical St.–Flatwater, on Sunday at 4:12 p.m. (PH time).

The 26-year-old native of Iriga City, Camarines Sur was the first Filipino rower to qualify for the Olympics after Edgardo Maerina (1988 Seoul), Benjamin Tolentino Jr. (2000 Sydney) and Cris Nievarez (2020 Tokyo).

Next up for the Philippines is two-time world champion Carlos Yulo who will begin his bid in the men’s artistic gymnastics qualification subdivision 2 gets at 9:30 p.m. (PH time) at Bercy Arena.

On Sunday, fencer Samantha Cantantan opens her women’s individual foil bid at 3:30 p.m. at Grand Palais; and women artistic gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Levi Ruivivar and Emma Malabuyo plunge into the qualification subdivision 3 at 8:50 p.m., all PH time.

The other Filipino Olympians are pole vaulter EJ Obiena; boxers Aira Villegas, Nesthy Petecio, Hergie Bacyadan, Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam; weightlifters Vanessa Sarno, John Ceniza and Elreen Ando; judoka Kiyomi Watanabe; golfers Dottie Ardina and Bianca Pagdanganan; hurdlers John Cabang Tolentino and Laura Hoffman; and swimmers Kayla Sanchez and Jarod Hatch. (PNA)