Delgaco first PH female rower to join Olympics

FILIPINO rower Joanie Delgaco qualified for the Paris Olympics on Sunday, April 21, as she made history as the first female rower from the Philippines to compete in the Games.

Delgaco made her way to the Olympics by finishing fourth in the women’s single sculls final in the Asian and Oceanian Rowing Olympic Qualification Regatta in Chungju, South Korea.

Joanie Delgaco PHOTO FROM PSC FB PAGE

The 25-year-old clocked seven minutes and 49.39 seconds in the six-rower race final, where the top five finishers were rewarded with Olympic berths.

Delgaco thus became the fourth overall Filipino rower to have qualified for the Olympics after Edgardo Maerina (1988 Seoul Games), Benjamin Tolentino Jr. (2000 Sydney Games) and Cris Nievarez (2021 Tokyo Games).

Nievarez could not make back-to-back Olympic appearances, as he failed to make the final in the men’s single sculls.

Delgaco admitted that she doubted making it to the Games, given the stiff competition.

“My whole body is aching, my legs and everything, but I told myself I can’t let them overtake me,” said Delgaco in Filipino during an interview with Radyo Pilipinas 2.

“My coaches told me that I can make it. At the start, I was [wondering] if I could beat [some of] them because they’re really good, but now I managed to beat them. It’s really historic that I became the first Filipina rower in the Olympics.

“I could never imagine I’d make it this far. They used to get past me easily, but now I get to beat them.”

Delgaco finished behind champion Anna Prakaten of Uzbekistan (7:31.28), runner-up Shiho Yonekawa of Japan (7:35.93) and third placer Fatemeh Mojallal of Iran (7:37.07), and ahead of the last Olympic qualifier Pham Thi Hue of Vietnam (7:53.08).

Delgaco is officially the 11th Filipino Olympic qualifier in Paris as she joined pole vaulter EJ Obiena; boxers Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas; weightlifters John Ceniza, Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno; and gymnasts Carlos Yulo, Aleah Finnegan and Levi Ruivivar.

Weightlifter Rosegie Ramos is the 12th unofficial qualifier, as the confirmation of her qualification has not yet been given by the International Weightlifting Federation as of writing.