AFTER GETTING knocked out of contention for a podium finish in the quarterfinals, Cris Nievarez gave two more impressive showings in the Semifinals C/D and Finals D of the Rowing Men’s Single Sculls event on July 29 and 30 at the Seaforest Waterway in Tokyo, Japan.
With his bout in the Semifinals C/D, Nievarez attained a fifth place finish in his heat. The Filipino Olympian clocked in with a time of 7:26.05, lagging just behind fourth placer Mohammed Al Khafaji from Iraq, who ended with a time of 7:21.52. Peruvian rower Alvaro Torres Masias and Monaco’s Quentin Antognelli topped the heat with times of 7:02.49 and 7:06.03, respectively.
Nievarez’ performance in the semifinals relegated him to the Finals D classification round, where he would fight to be placed somewhere in the 19-24 range out of 32 total rowers competing in the event.
In the final heat of his Olympic debut, Nievarez finished with a time of 7:21.28. Although he placed fifth in his heat for a third time, his output exceeded his previous best in the tournament set at 7:22.97 which got him into the quarterfinals.
Nievarez’s final run bested Saudi Arabian competitor Husein Alireza’s 7:52.67 time, but it was not enough to get past Al Khafaji who finished just ahead of him once more with a time of 7:18.65. With Kazakhstan’s Vladislav Yakovlev (7:03.37), Zimbabwe’s Peter Purcell-Gilpin (7:03.85), and Turkey’s Onat Kazakli (7:13.65) finishing ahead of him as well, he ended his Olympics run at 23rd place.
Despite the loss, Nievarez receives nothing but praise and reassurance from everyone back in his home country. Patrick Gregorio, President of the Philippines Rowing Association wasted no time in reassuring the Filipino people that the rowing prodigy still has a lot left in him. “Cris’ journey as a world-class rower just started in Tokyo. He has a long way to go,” said Gregorio in an interview with The Philippine Star.
At the young age of 21, Nievarez is already the Philippines’ best performing rower in the nation’s history after his 23rd place finish.
Semifinal C/D 1 Results:
Alvaro Torres Masias (Peru) -7:02.49
Quentin Antognelli (Monaco) – 7:06.03
Dara Alizadeh (Bermuda) – 7:11.14
Mohammed Al Khafaji (Iraq) – 7:21.52
Cris Nievarez (Philippines) – 7:26.05
Husein Alireza (Saudi Arabia) – 7:53.99
Finals D Results:
Vladislav Yakovlev (Kazakhstan)- 7:03.37
Peter Purcell-Gilpin (Zimbabwe) – 7:03.85
Onat Kazakli (Turkey) – 7:13.65
Mohammed Al Khafaji (Iraq) – 7:18.65
Cris Nievarez (Philippines) – 7:21.28
Husein Alireza (Saudi Arabia) – 7:52.67
