Ukrainian rowers Kovalov, Khmara reach 2024 Olympic semifinals

This is reported by Suspilne Sport.

Kovalov and Khmara finished fourth in the third heat of the qualifiers, missing direct entry to the semi-finals. However, they secured their spot by finishing in the top three in the repechage.

In the second repechage race, Kovalov and Khmara competed against rowers from Japan, Mexico, Belgium, and Uzbekistan. They were second at the 500-meter mark but were overtaken by Mexico at the second checkpoint.

Ultimately, the Ukrainian team surpassed Mexico, Japan, and Uzbekistan, clocking a total time of 6:46.05 minutes, with Belgium finishing first.

Kovalov and Khmara will now compete in the semi-finals on Wednesday, July 31. Teams that didn't make the semi-finals will enter the consolation finals and won't compete for medals.

This is the second Olympic appearance for Kovalov and Khmara, who finished ninth in lightweight doubles at Tokyo 2020.

The athletes are bronze medalists of the 2022 World Championship and two-time vice-champions of the Universiade. They qualified for Paris 2024 by winning the final European qualifying regatta in Szeged, Hungary.

• On Monday, July 29, representatives of the Ukrainian national team will compete in 11 sports at the Paris Olympics. Check the schedule of performances by Ukrainians at the provided link.