Rowing Olympic Updates: Badenhorst Finishes Second in C Final, 14th Overall
7/27/2024 11:48:00 AM | Rowing, Olympics
• Dent, Canadian 8+ Claim Silver in Paris
• Road to Paris: Abby Dent Olympic Training Log
• Paris Olympics Site | U-M Olympics Coverage
Saturday, Aug. 3
Paige Badenhorst completed her journey in the 2024 Paris Olympics with another strong showing, timing 7:27.76 in a close finish at the C Final of the women's single sculls (1x). Badenhorst earned second place, just behind Slovenia's Jovana Arsic (-1.87). Rowing out of the third lane, Badenhorst, the youngest athlete in the field, started the race with the most aggressive stroke rate and was rewarded with the chance to push the pace early. She and Mexico's Kenia Lechuga Alanis led through 500 meters, but as the Mexican faded, Badenhorst grew stronger. She took over the lead past 750 meters before a trio joined her at the halfway point. Badenhorst saw Arsic and Brazil's Beatriz Cunha Tavares Cardoso pass her, but over the final 750, Badenhorst regained her pace and worked her way back into second place. After a slight stumble in the quarterfinals, Badenhorst raced in her best form through the semis and finals. The first-time Olympian represented South Africa proudly as its lone female rowing athlete, and her second-place finish in the C Final yields her 14th overall in a field of 32 competitors.
Thursday, Aug. 1
Abigail Dent rowed in stroke seat for the Canadian 8+ as it placed second in a very close repechage, timing 6:04.81, just +0.88 behind the winning boat from the United States. Rowing out of lane four between Denmark and Australia, the race started at a rapid pace as the top boats from Canada, Australia, and the U.S. nestled amongst each other in the middle lanes. The Canadians took first position for a stretch near the race's midway point and looked smooth and strong, led by Dent. The Americans made a move in the third quarter and raced ahead during the sprint, pushing into first with under 400 meters to go. With four of five boats in the repechage advancing to the medal race, it was still a comfortable qualification for Team Canada. They will seek to defend their gold medal from Tokyo in the A Final for a gold medal on Saturday (Aug. 3) at 10:50 a.m. CEST / 4:50 EDT against Italy, Romania, Great Britain, Australia and the U.S.
Wednesday, July 31
Paige Badenhorst won the second of two C/D semifinal heats with a time of 7:55.91, securing her place in the C Final of the women's single sculls (1x). Badenhorst rowed out of the third lane and was among the quickest starters, stretching into the lead at 250 meters. She never relinquished the lead, timing 7:55.91 for the victory of 2.09 seconds over second-place Kenia Lechuga Alanis (Mexico). She also held off Azerbaijan's Diana Dymchenko in the lane adjacent, who placed third to qualify for the six-athlete C Final, set for Saturday (Aug. 3) at 9:30 a.m. CEST / 3:30 a.m. EDT. Winning the C Final would net Badenhorst 13th place overall.
Tuesday, July 30
Paige Badenhorst rowed to a fourth-place finish in quarterfinal action, timing 7:44.03 to qualify for Semifinal C/D. Rowing out of lane five, Badenhorst needed a top-three finish to advance to the A/B semi, and came up 3.96 seconds behind the third-place finisher, Magdalena Lobnig of Austria. Viktorija Senkute (Lithuania) won the heat and Anna Prakaten (Uzbekistan) also advanced, both under 7:36. Badenhorst was chasing Senkute, Prakaten, and Lobnig early as the trio separated in the middle third of the race. She rowed hard over the second half of the race and picked up ground on the leaders, but did not have enough room to catch Lobnig for third. Badenhorst will row in the second heat of the semis on Wednesday (July 31).
Monday, July 29
Women's Rowing
The 8+ event opened with heats, and Team Canada rowed in Heat 1 against Great Britain, Australia, and Denmark. In her first Olympic race, Abigail Dent was in stroke seat as the boat raced out of the first lane and placed third in 6:21.31. Team Great Britain won the heat in 6:16.20 with Australia in second (+2.41). Dent and Team Canada will race in the five-boat repechage of Australia, Denmark, Italy, and the United States on Thursday (Aug. 1), with four boats continuing to the A Final and one up for elimination.Â
Saturday, July 25
Sculls Heats
Making her Olympic debut, Paige Badenhorst advanced to quarterfinal action by placing third in her qualifying heat. Badenhorst rowed in the fastest heat of the day and managed a time of 7:39.19, less than two seconds behind second place. She rowed out of lane two, between athletes from Spain and Uganda. Badenhorst will avoid the repechage and her next race is Tuesday (July 30) in the quarterfinals.
• Paige Badenhorst: 7:39.19 Q (3)
• Stats and Video (NBC Olympics)
Players Mentioned
