Joanie Delgaco’s journey is just one of the interesting storylines in the rowing competition of the Paris Olympics 2024.
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines will once again have a representative in rowing for the second straight Olympics.
Joanie Delgaco is the lone Filipino rower who qualified for the Paris Olympics, making the staple sport of the Summer Games one of the events to watch out for in France.
She is also the first Filipino woman–and just the fourth in all from the Philippines–to ever compete in the Olympics. The country was represented by Cris Nievarez in Tokyo.
Aside from Delgaco’s journey, there are several interesting storylines for the rowing competition in the Paris Olympics.
WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE EVENTS
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The games will span from July 27 to August 3 and will take place at Nautical St-Flat water. The first medals will be awarded on July 31 in the men’s and women’s quadruple sculls.
BASICS OF THE SPORT
Rowing has been part of the Olympics in the 1900 Summer Games.
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The rowing events will have two categories contested on a 2,000m course which is sculling and sweep.
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For sculling, two oars per person will be involved with competitors rowing solo or in teams of two or four.
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As for sweep, teams of two, four and eight race with competitors using one oar each.
HOW MANY MEDALS AT STAKE IN PARIS
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14 medals will be up for grabs in the Paris Olympics for the rowing competition.
- Rowing is among the sports leading the way in gender equality. The program includes an equal number of events for men and women. Women’s events were only officially included in the Olympic program in Montreal in 1976.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- First-time Olympic competitor Joanie Delgaco will be representing the Philippines. The 26-year-old native of Iriga won gold in the 2023 Asian Rowing Beach Sprint Championships. She will compete in the women’s single sculls.
- Meghan Musnicki, United States: The 41-year-old two-time gold medalist is set to become the oldest American woman to row at the Olympics. She will be competing in her fourth Olympic Games.
- Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, Ireland: The defending world and Olympic champions in lightweight double sculls.
- Marloes Oldenburg, Netherlands: The 36-year-old Oldenburg will be competing in the Paris Olympics two years after breaking her neck in a life-threatening bicycle crash.
- Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors, New Zealand: They qualified for Paris in the women’s double sculls not long after each gave birth and returned to competition.
- Tom Mackintosh, New Zealand: He won a gold medal in the men’s eight in Tokyo, then took time off rowing so he could work at an investment firm. It didn’t take long to realize his body wasn’t built for a desk. After five months in the corporate world, he decided it was time to get back in a boat.