Team Pilipinas’ Jen Caballero, Joanie Delgaco, Cris Nievarez, Roque Abala Jr., and Zuriel Sumintac missed out on the Tokyo Olympics after finishing their campaigns in the 2021 Asia Oceania Olympic and Paralympic Rowing Qualification Regatta, Friday afternoon in Tokyo, Japan.
Jen Caballero and Joanie Delgaco still made sure to end their journey on a positive note after winning the B Final of the women’s lightweight doubles sculls.
The Filipino champions missed out on a chance at a Tokyo Games berth after ending a place short of qualification to the A Final, placing third in the repechage the previous day. Nonetheless, Caballero and Delgaco bounced back heavily in their final race of the qualifiers.
The reigning SEA Games champs stormed right of the gates and registered a 1:48.15 start after the first 500 meters, less than two minutes ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh I-Chuing and Lee Kuan-Yi.
Ultimately, Caballero and Delgaco kept up their pace to cross the finish line first with 7:41.35 for an overall seventh place finish. Hong Kong ended in second, while India overtook Chinese Taipei for third.
Another SEA Games titleholder in Nievarez bombed out of a take on that Olympic berth in the men’s single sculls and ended at ninth overall after placing third in the B Final with 7:37.55.
Nievarez earlier missed out on the A Final, which could have given him a huge chance at the Olympic berth, after crossing the line in fifth place at the semifinals. The Filipino standout was six minutes off Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Hieu who went on to the A Final.
Abala Jr. and Sumintac also finished in ninth place in the men’s lightweight double sculls, after taking third in the B Final with 7:05.64.
