The duo formed by Isaquias Queiroz and Jacky Godmann is in the semifinals of the C2 1000m, speed canoeing category. The Brazilians finished the quarterfinals in first place this Monday (2) and are still alive in the search for a medal.
Leading from end to end, the pair completed the race in 3m48s611. The first three pairs of each bracket qualify for the semifinals. The others compete in Final B, which is not worth a medal.
In Raia 5, Isaquias and Godmann had a battery start disputed with the Russian duo, formed by Viktor Melantev and Vladislav Chebotar. In the first 250m, the Brazilians led with 54s57, against 54s90 for the Russians.
Halfway through the race, the Brazilians did 1m52s92 and continued in the lead. In the final stretch, the Russians were overtaken by Romanians and Ukrainians. The Europeans, however, did not threaten Isaac and Godmann.
The semifinal and the final of the C2 1000m will be this Monday, starting at 9:44 pm (Brasilia time).
The only Brazilian to win three medals in the same Olympiad, a feat achieved in the Rio-2016 Games, Isaquias will also compete in the C1 1000m, on Thursday, at 21:44 (Brasilia time).
Isaquias lays on the deck after the race
Apparently exhausted, the Brazilian medalist felt the difficulty of the race. When he finished it, he immediately lay down on the finish deck, exhausted.
“C2 is always heavy. We were unbalanced a lot in the race, there was a wave at the beginning in front of the start, it ends up leaving a wave, so it ends up interfering with the start. But we forced a lot”, said Isaquias.
He also explained that they chose to keep the pace strong even after opening a good lead. According to the pair, it was a strategy by the coach, Lauro de Souza, to “impose respect”.
“We opted for what the coach told us to do. The coach told us to come in front, come out ahead, let no one get ahead to impose respect, show that we are here,” he explained.
The wind, which was against the boat in the dispute, was another problem. Because they are light, having to row with the wind going against the boat is an extra difficulty, making the race more difficult.
“We trained a lot and doing one more race, which is the quarterfinals, ends up giving a more race pace. Arriving well tomorrow, the wind was very strong this afternoon, but we overcame the wind and we trained” , opined the Olympic medalist canoeist.
Non-boat settings
After the test, Isaac e Jacky said they already imagined that the qualifiers would be difficult due to the quality of the opponents, who, in the duo’s battery, had three medalists in the 2019 World Championships.
Although the quarter-finals dispute means a race and, therefore, an extra effort, Isaquias stated that an extra dispute can be favorable, as it helps to make adjustments to the boat.
“This ends up benefiting, it also ends up harming, but we have a long rest from here until tomorrow,” said Isaquias.
The pair also said that they went to Japan with a clear objective: to win a medal.
“We didn’t come here for a ride, so we’ll do our best,” said the canoeist. “We don’t just want to get to the final, we want to get there and win a medal, it was a pained job, for five years, so we want to fight for a medal,” he concluded.
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