Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
Zimbabwe missed out on straight qualification for the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games rowing after Peter Purcell-Gilpin was pipped on the line by Kazakhstan sculler Yakovlev Vladislav early this morning.
The Zimbabwean has a second attempt at qualification when he competes in a repechage on Saturday morning.
Repachage is a contest in which those that fail to win heats compete for a place in the next round.
Purcell-Gilpin clocked 7 minutes, 10.65 seconds to finish fourth just behind the Vladislav, who crossed the 2 000m line in 7 minutes 10.08 seconds in a race that was won by Danish Sverri Nielson in 7 minutes, 02.88 seconds.
Italian di Mauro Gennaro was second in 7 minutes 06.87 seconds.
Purcell-Gilpin seemed to have run out of steam in the last 500m after maintaining third place from the start, but what could be of comfort for Zimbabwe is that out of all 14 scullers set for Saturday’s repechage, only Dutchman Finn Florijin clocked a better time than Purcell-Gilpin, crossing in 7 minutes, 04.56 seconds.
Like in Friday’s heats, Purcell-Gilpin will be in the third team alongside Riilion Rii from Vanuatu, who finished his race in 8 minutes, 00.98 seconds, Alireza Hussein from Saudi Arabia, whose finishing time was 8 minutes, 54.18 seconds, Abdulrahman Alfadhel from Kuwait (8 minutes, 49.03 seconds) and Florijin.
Online Reporter