PARIS—Joanie Delgaco secured a Top 20 finish as the Philippines jumped in the world rankings at the conclusion of the Paris Olympics’ rowing competitions at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Friday.
The Iriga City native showcased extraordinary resilience as she staged a dramatic comeback from fifth to second place in the Final D of the women’s single sculls, listing a personal best of 7:43.83.
In the quarters and in semis C/D, Delgaco registered times of over eight minutes.
In the finale, she was fourth through the 500m mark, then down to fifth through the 1000m, before thundering to second through 1500m and keeping the pace to finish second behind Paraguay’s Alejandra Alonso and ahead of Iranian Fatemeh Mojallaltopraghghale, Turkish Elis Ozbay, Vietnamese Thi Hue Pham and Peru’s Adriana Sanguineti.
“Grabe ‘yung hinabol,” said Philippine Rowing Association president Patrick Gregorio.
Delgaco’s impressive performance not only solidified her position as one of Asia’s best, but also opened doors for future opportunities.
Her Olympic journey is set to continue with a three-month training stint in Germany, where she will also pursue an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship.
Delgaco’s achievement has also ignited hopes for the growth of rowing in the Philippines, with Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Richard Bachmann recommending an increase in the national team’s roster to 10 athletes and two coaches.
“Joanie just proved that if we can get additional support from corporate sponsors, we can excel in this sport,” said Gregorio, who announced a P50,000 bonus for the athlete.
The Philippines now ranks second in the region and holds the top spot in Southeast Asia.
“Before the Olympics, there were five qualifiers and the rankings were Uzbekistan, Iran, Vietnam, Philippines and Singapore. Now we’re second in Asia and No. 1 in Southeast Asia,” Gregorio said.
The international rowing community has also taken notice of Delgaco’s potential.
Daniela Gomes, FISA head for sports development, expressed keen interest in the Filipina rower and pledged support for an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship.
Meanwhile, Jarod Hatch’s Olympic debut ended earlier than expected as he failed to advance to the semifinals of the men’s 100-meter butterfly event.
The Filipino swimmer finished last in his heat with a time of 54.66 seconds, placing him in a joint 36th position overall.
China’s Jiajun Sun topped Heat 2 with a time of 51.85 seconds.
Meanwhile, Kristof Milac claimed the fastest overall time of 50.10 seconds, followed closely by Canada’s Josh Linedo (50.55) and Switzerland’s Noe Ponti and France’s Maxime Grousset, who both clocked 50.65 seconds.
Only the top 16 swimmers from the preliminary rounds advanced to the semifinals.
