By Pearl Gumapos
Among the 19 athletes who made it to this year’s Olympiad, Philippine rower Cris Nievarez is the only one who made it to the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals.
Nievarez won the third and final slot in Heat 5 of the 2,000-meter men’s singles sculls, his time hitting 7:22:97.
Croatia’s Damir Martin finished with a time of 7:09:17 for first place, while Russia’s Alexander Vyazovkin completed the course in second place with a time of 7:14:95.
The top three contenders in each heat are the only ones eligible to enter the quarterfinals.
“Nagdo-dominate sa world indoor ‘yung Russian. Sa first 1,000 tinatantya niya ako, tapos sa last 1,000 lumayo na nang lumayo. Pero susubukan ko sa quarterfinals kung makakaharap ko siya,” Nievarez said.
He added that he owes his third place finish to his training back home under the program of Uzbek coach Shukrat Ganiev.
“‘Yung training sa PH, [‘yung] program ni coach Shukrhat. ‘Yon lang ang pinanghahawakan namin. Sinunod lang namin ng sinunod ‘yon,” he said.
Nievarez’s next stint is set on July 26. (PTV Sports) – jlo
