Sri Lanka and Japan earn places in Tokyo 2020 rowing events
TOKYO — Asia and Oceania had its final qualification for rowing places at the Tokyo 2020 Parlaympic Games. Two places were on offer on Friday with Sri Lanka and Japan earning the two berths for rowing, which will be the first time the country competes in the sport.
The races took place at the same regatta which will be used for the Paralympic Games in the Tokyo Bay. This regatta took place with perfect conditions in the air and on the water which was perfectly calm.
Mahesh Jayakodi of Sri Lanka took the opening race, the PR1 men’s single sculls and he led from the very start of the race. He came in as the most experienced racer and used all of that to dominate the race, easily claiming the win by 44 seconds, and with it his first Paralympic Games berth.
Again it was the most experienced rower who took the other berth, Japan’s Tomomi Ichikawa who used her knowledge of home conditions to claim the win in the PR1 women’s single sculls. Sri Lankan Samitha Gowinnage Dona led in the early stages of the race but couldn’t match the achievements of her teammate. Ichikawa didn’t panic when falling behind, keeping her strokes consistent to claim the win and a place in her home Paralympic Games, easily winning by over three minutes.
Sri Lanka had a very good regatta which was especially impressive given the news that one of the members of the support team had tested positive for COVID-19 disrupting the country’s preparation, no other participants at the event tested positive.
Sri Lanka will now have at least four athletes in Tokyo while Japan’s allotment goes up to 29 but both nations will likely increase with several places still to be determined.
This article originally featured at Paralympic Sports News.
