Four-time Olympian Emma Twigg’s latest battle for the podium got off to a roaring start yesterday, as compelling matchups in the men’s and women’s single sculls began to take shape on the first day of the Olympic rowing competition at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo.
The 34-year-old New Zealander posted the fastest overall time of the women’s opening heats in her first race since 2019, cruising through to a 7 minutes, 35.22 seconds finish at the fan-free venue after two heartbreaking fourth-place finishes at the London and Rio de Janeiro Games.
“It’s definitely a lung-buster. A few nerves going into it, but that’s to be expected in an Olympic Games. It’s good to get underway,” Twigg said. “These early races, nobody really shows their cards.”
Photo: Reuters
Twigg won a heat that included Taiwan’s Huang Yi-ting, who finished fourth in 8:04.59 and is to take part in the repechage today.
Twigg faces a stacked field ahead, as Kara Kohler of the US, 30, clinched her heat in her return to Olympic rowing and Ireland’s Sanita Puspure, 39, proved she was worth the hype, winning her heat by more than eight seconds after bringing home World Championship titles in 2018 and 2019.
Another clear contender, Britain’s Victoria Thornley, who picked up silver in the double sculls in 2016, also advanced.
“Coming to the Olympics in the single has been a dream of mine for some time, so it’s good to be out there doing what I love,” the 33-year-old three-time Olympian said.
In the men’s single sculls, a rematch of the 2019 World Championship final was shaping up after Norwegian Kjetil Borch posted the fastest overall time in 6:54.46, and 24-year-old German Oliver Zeidler and Sverri Nielsen, 27, of Denmark also clinched their heats.
“Everything went as planned,” said the 31-year-old, who picked up bronze in the double sculls at the Rio de Janeiro Games, and finished third behind Zeidler and Nielsen respectively in 2019.
“You could feel the tension at the start, people are eager to start the Olympics,” he said.
Croatia’s Damir Martin, who won silver in Rio de Janeiro, also advanced to the quarter-finals, as he aims to fight his way to the top of the podium after the retirement of New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale, the winner of back-to-back golds in 2012 and 2016.
The Netherlands dominated across the board as men’s double sculls pair Melvin Twellaar and Stef Broenink set a new Olympic best, scorching their opening heat in 6:08.38 and upending an Olympic best set minutes earlier by 2018 world champions Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias of France.
Their female counterparts, Roos de Jong and Lisa Scheenaard, clinched a spot in the semi-finals after winning their heat in 6:49:90.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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