Top rowers brace for major events

The national rowing team will be deploying its best athetes in their respective categories as it braces for major international tournaments this year.

National team head coach Ed Maerina told DAILY TRIBUNE that Olympians Cris Nievarez and Joanie Delgaco will continue competing in the men's and women’s single sculls, respectively, as part of their preparation for the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam from 24 to 30 August and the 20th Asian Games in Japan from 19 September to 4 October.

The Philippines capped 2025 with a 1-1-4 gold-silver-bronze medal tally in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December.

“We need the team's training to be focused on their individual events. We don’t want to have a hard time choosing who will compete in the singles and doubles events so we want our athletes to focus on training for their respective categories,” Maerina said in a telephone conversation on Monday.

“We need to identify the lineup.”

As the Filipino rowers resume their training at the La Mesa Dam in Quezon City on 15 January, Maerina said they will also focus on beach sprints, a variation of rowing where it combines a beach run to a boat, a slalom course around buoys in open water, and a final sprint across the sand to a buzzer finish.

“Coach Benedikt will join us in February but a coaching colleague of his will join us on the 15th of January. We are preparing the team for beach sprints since it could be added in the Asian Games,” Maerina said.

“Those who will compete in the classic events will stay in La Mesa while those who will compete in the beach sprints will be in Ternate, Cavite.”

The Filipino rowers hope to get a podium finish after coming up short in Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Delgaco was the closest rower to win a medal for the Philippines after finishing in fifth place in the women’s single sculls with a time of eight minutes and 05.93 seconds in the 19th Asiad.