By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Joanie Delgaco paddled her way to the 2024 Paris Games with a performance to remember as she became the first Filipino rower to qualify for the Olympics following a fourth-place showing at the Asia Oceania Qualification Tournament on Sunday, April 21, in Chungju, South Korea.
The 26-year-old Delgaco clocked 7 minutes and 49.39 seconds to earn one of the five Olympic berths allocated in the women’s singles sculls, becoming the 11th Filipino athlete to officially qualify for Paris.
She was also the fourth Filipino rower to ever qualify for the Olympics after Ed Maerina in the 1998 Seoul, Benjie Tolentino in the 2000 Sydney and Cris Nievarez in the 2020 Tokyo edition.
So impressive was Delgaco’s performance that she registered 11 seconds faster than her semifinal showing the other day — 8:05.87 — that earned her a spot in the finals.
“Hindi ko po ma-imagine na aabot ako sa ganito,” said Delgaco in an interview with Radyo Pilipinas 2.
Uzbekistan’s Anna Prakaten led the Olympic qualifiers by topping the event with a time of 7:31.28, followed by Japan’s Shiho Yonekawa (7:35.93) and Iran’s Fatemeh Mojallal Topraghghale (7:37.07). Vietnam’s Hue Pham Thi claimed the last Olympic berth after timing 7:53.08.
Delgaco, who made it to the finals in last year’s 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, said she would continue to push herself harder in training in the coming months as she is expected to be up against elite and more experienced rowers in Europe in the Olympics.
“Naliwanagan ako sa tournament na ito, na mas may ilalakas pa ako. Kaya sa training, mas ibubuhos ko pa yung best ko para maganda ang maipakita ko sa Olympics,” said Delgaco as she is expected to join fellow Filipino Olympic qualifiers in a month-long training camp in the city of Metz also one month before the Games.
So far, Filipino Olympic qualifiers to Paris are pole vaulter EJ Obiena, boxers Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas and Eumir Marcial, weightlifters Elreen Ando, Vanessa Sarno and John Febuar Ceniza, and gymnasts Carlos Yulo, Aleah Finnegan and Levi Jung-Ruivivar.
More Filipino athletes are expected to earn berths as qualification tournaments are lined up in the coming months.
A Final Qualification Regatta is set for rowers on May 19 to 21 in Lucerne, Switzerland staking two slots in each event.
