Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times
Photo from PRA

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Cris Nievarez fans Olympic hopes with dominant repechage win


Cris Nievarez came to life and ran roughshod of the competition to top the repechage race of the men’s singles sculls of the 2021 Asia Oceania Olympic and Paralympic Rowing Qualification Regatta starting on Thursday at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo, Japan. 

With the win, the 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist revived his Olympic hopes by getting into the semifinals to be raced on Friday. The top five rowers in the A final later that afternoon will qualify for the Summer Games to be held in this very same venue.

Nievarez faltered in the middle stages of the heats during the morning’s session but showed no signs of let-up in this all-important second-chance race.

The multi-medaled rower tackled the first 500 meters at 1:56.20, three minutes ahead of Thailand’s Chanin Sinsomboon. And in stark contrast from the heats, he pulled away in the 1000 m and 1500 m marks of the race, with the third quarter covered 10 minutes faster than the closest pursuer in the Thai.

The two pairs in the doubles play, however, missed on the plane tickets to Tokyo.

The men’s lightweight sculls pair of Roque Abala Jr. and Zuriel Sumintac finished fourth to settle for the B Final on Friday. The Filipinos crossed the finish line with a time of 7:39.35, 22.82 minutes after second-place Kazakhstan, who joined Uzbekistan into the A Final.

SEA Games champions Jen Caballero and Joanie Delgaco likewise moved into the B Final after ending in third in the repechage with 8:14.30, 6.27 minutes after the runner-up Korea. Vietnam won the repechage heat and, along with Korea, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan moved on to the A Final.

#ReadMore  MVPSF releases P40.5M to Olympic athletes, coaches

Nievarez will try to end the 21-year absence of the country in Olympic rowing as he competes in the semifinals of the men’s singles sculls, which will start at 8:30 a.m. (Manila time) on Friday. The finals are scheduled later in the afternoon.

Grew to appreciate various sports from tennis to judo. True-maroon kiddo since the new millennium. Fanboy. Singer. Occasional sports writer.


You May Also Like

19th Asian Games

Joanie Delgaco is aiming to make history as she competes in the final of the women’s single sculls event at the 19th Asian Games...

2021 SEA Games

The Philippines finally struck gold on the sixth day of the 31st Southeast Asian Games. Francine Padios pocketed the country’s first gold of the...

News

Olympian Cris Nievarez led a six-silver and two-bronze medal haul for Team Pilipinas in the Asian Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships held over the weekend...

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Hidilyn Diaz, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial, and the rest of Team Pilipinas were honored by the Malacañang Palace in a simple event,...

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Promise made. Promise fulfilled. Prior to the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF) allotted cash incentives for the country’s...

2020 Tokyo Olympics

President Rodrigo Duterte gave a surprise to Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial during a virtual courtesy call moments after arriving in the...

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Coming off a high from the 30th Southeast Asian Games two years ago that saw the country win a historic 149 golds, the morale...

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Team Pilipinas had just concluded its historic 2020 Summer Olympic Games campaign in Tokyo, Japan. A total of 19 Filipino athletes competed in 11...

Advertisement