Joanie Delgaco gets shot at 19th place in Paris Olympics rowing

Joanie Delgaco of Team Philippines crosses the finish line in the women’s single scull rowing repechage at the Paris Olympics 2o24, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

MANILA, Philippines — Team Philippines rower Joanie Delgaco lost steam anew in the women’s single sculls semifinals C/D classification round of the Paris Olympics 2024 and was relegated to Final D, which will give her a shot at finishing 19th to 24th.

Delgaco started strong with a hope to get a higher rank in the classification round — the top three advancing to Final C —  but she couldn’t sustain momentum at third place, dropping to sixth midway through the race.

She can finish her Olympic campaign with 19th as her best ranking if she triumphs in her final race in Paris on Friday at 4:30 p.m. (Manila time).

READ: LIVE UPDATES: Team Philippines at Paris Olympics 2024 July 31

The 26-year-old Filipino bet avoided a last-place finish on Wednesday, clocking a time of 8:00.18 — six seconds ahead of last placer Fatemeh Mojallal of Iran.

Jovana Arsic of Serbia topped the race with the fastest time of 7:44.60, barging into the Final C with Slovenia’s Nina Kostanjsek (7:48.86) and Brazil’s Beatriz Tavares (7:49.96).

Alejandra Alonso of Paraguay settled for fourth with a time of 7:56.50, also relegated in Final D with Delgaco and Mojallal.

READ: Paris Olympics: Team Philippines’ Joanie Delgaco out of medal race

The Filipino Olympic rower bombed out of medal contention with a last-place finish of 7:58.30 in the quarterfinal on Tuesday.

She earned a shot at a quarterfinal after topping her repechage regatta on Sunday.