Nievarez coaches the SEAG rudder gold defense
In order to fully prepare for the 31st Southeast Asia (SEA) Games, scheduled for May, where he is the defending champion, Filipino rowing ace Cris Nievarez has decided to skip next month’s World Rowing Indoor Championship.
The 21-year-old Olympian from Tokyo has placed his defense at the SEA Games high on his list of priorities for the year and, despite a silver medal performance in the men’s U23-2,000, passed up a chance to go head-to-head with the Asian’s best Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships this weekend.
“I think it would be better for me not to compete in the Worlds and just focus on my preparation for the SEA Games,” Nievarez told the Inquirer. “[That’s because] I still have to lose weight for the SEA Games and that will affect my preparation for the World Championships, which I qualified for in the open category.”
The Asian Rowing Virtual Championship attracted a total of 15 participants. Five other Filipino rowers qualified for the virtual world championship on February 25-26.
The national rowing team actually took six silvers and two bronzes at the Asian Rowing Championships, with newly recruited 19-year-old Kristine Paraon bagging two silvers in the under-23 women’s 500m and 2,000m against eight competitors.
Other silver medalists included Joachim de Jesus in the men’s 500m under-23, Zuriel Sumintac in the men’s 500m and Alyssa Go in the women’s 500m lightweight. INQ
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