Paris 2024 Day 4: In the same boat

The quarterfinal heats in single sculls were held at the Olympic Games in Paris on 30 July. Yauheni Zalaty and Tatsiana Klimovich successfully overcame this barrier and advanced to the semifinal stage.

It should be noted that the Belarusian rowers are using boats provided by the organizers at the Games.

For Tatsiana Klimovich the morning race was not as successful as the qualification. She showed the third result of 7:34.30. Dutch Karolien Florijn took the victory, second place went to German Alexandra Föster, but it was enough to reach the semifinals.



The result of Zalaty, who topped his heat, was 6:49.27. Lithuanian Giedrius Bieliauskas and Japanese Ryuta Arakawa also promoted to the final. It should be noted that Yauheni Zalaty significantly sped up in the second half of the race despite the hot weather in the morning.

The Belarusian rower shared his impressions after the finish.

“It was very hot, didn't get the run as we planned because of the heat:+35°C. I didn't warm up, it was hard to breathe. In general, the race was satisfactory, I would say. In terms of technique the first 500 meters were a bit confusing. I didn't get off to a perfect start: I had to concentrate on myself but I started to look at my rivals. But then everything worked out. The boat is the same as it was in Belarus. Everything is perfect.”

Yauheni also spoke a little about the Olympic Village and the delays with drinking water supplies:

“The beds are good, the mattresses are good too. The mattresses are hybrid and provide back comfort. Food is good as well. Only one thing is disappointing: there are big delays in water deliveries. Sometimes there is no water for 2 or 3 days. There are only Coca Cola Zero bottles in fridges.

In the coming days Yauheni Zalaty plans to recover and get ready for the next event. The men’s single sculls semifinal is scheduled for 1 August.



“We did it. You see it for yourself. The races are becoming quite challenging. Thank God, we did it. There are some important moments, and we will discuss them with the athlete. Temperatures are soaring here, but I think we can cope with the heat. Of course, it impacts athletes. When it is +36°C it is very difficult to perform, but we have what we have. We have to work in such conditions. Everyone thought that there would be waves here, because the 2023 World Rowing Under 19 Championships took place here last year. Our athletes competed, and the water conditions were awful. This time, as you see, the water is great,” head coach Vitaly Bely said.

The semifinals at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium are due on 1 August.

On 31 July, Alina Zmushka will compete in the women’s 200m breaststroke.

Press service of the NOC of Belarus
Photos by the NOC of Belarus