TOKYO—Cris Nievarez provided a whiff of fresh air to a Philippine campaign that teetered a day before opening day on Friday, clinching a quarterfinal-round berth in rowing at the Sea Forest Waterway on Tokyo Bay.
“I feel real good,” said the 21-year-old Nievarez, a first-time Olympian who stood head and shoulder with his stronger and bigger opponents in the sport traditionally devoted by athletes from the other side of the globe.
A Covid-19 scare hounded Team Philippines on Thursday, one that could have cost the entire Philippine campaign in the 32nd edition of the Olympics where the country’s bid for first—or even more—gold medal looked attainable.
“First Olympics, first race—this is for the Philippines,” Nievarez, born to a humble family in Sariaya, Quezon, said.
Nievarez was impressive with his time of seven minutes and 22.97 seconds over the 2,000-meter event raced over closed to calm conditions with some tailwind.
Croatia’s Damir Martin (7:09.17), the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, and Russia’s Alexander Vyazovkin (7:14.95), the world indoor champion, finished 1-2 in the heat and are favored to do the same in Sunday’s semifinals.
Nievarez was unfazed with the weight of the competition and went side by side with Vyazovkin and Nicaragua’s Felix Potoy in the first 500 meters.
“The Croatian led from the onset, but me, the Russian and Nicaraguan were shoulder to shoulder until the final 750 meters when I left the Nicaraguan,” he said.
A veteran of the Latin American Games, Potoy slowly but surely inched closer and narrowed their gap, but Nievarez didn’t wilt.
“I made sure he won’t get any closer and each time he did, I gave it my all,” said Nievarez, who finished 10 seconds ahead of Potoy.
The top three in all of the six heats in the men’s singles scull advanced to the quarterfinals. Those who missed the top 3 will battle it out in Saturday’s repechage where the top 2 performers move on to the quarterfinals.
“We’ll evaluate all the times of the qualifiers and strategize,” Nievarez, coached by many-time national rower Edgardo Maerina, said.
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