Joanie Delgaco kicks off the Philippines’ campaign in the Paris Olympics Saturday as one of a few Filipino rowers to participate in the pinnacle of athletic competition.

If very few people are aware of that, it’s understandable.

And even the former volleyball standout who competed in the Palarong Pambansa was in disbelief when she made the Paris grade.

“At first, I really couldn’t sleep because I was qualified. I thought, ‘Is this it, am I achieving my dream?’ My dream was finally being fulfilled. That dream that I was just hoping for before,” she said.

Rowing has had a very humble history in the Olympics as far as the country is concerned.

Delgaco will become just the country’s fourth rower to ever compete in the Olympics once she takes part in the women’s singles sculls heat under the tutelage of her coach who broke through 36 years ago.

Ed Maerina made it to the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and took part in the men’s sculls event, placing sixth in his heat with the time of eight minutes and 54.90 seconds, enough to advance to the repechage.

He improved his clocking in the repechage to 8:27.02, but fell short of progressing into the quarterfinals.

Some volleyball roots

Benjamin Tolentino Jr. followed suit 12 years ago at the 2000 Sydney Games and finished in 18th out of 23 rowers. He registered 7:29.86 in the heats before putting in 7:29.03 in the repechage to miss out on a medal and subsequently relegated into the C/D semifinals.

He had a time of 7:29.86 in the semis and 7:22 in the final, the latter saw him post the fastest time among six rowers in the Final D event. The Air Force sergeant would later win five golds in the Southeast Asian Games, three during the 2005 edition on home soil.

Like Delgaco, Tolentino said in a podcast put out last year by the Philippine Olympians that he started out playing volleyball, even becoming a member of the national juniors team, before being recruited to try a different sport.

He was introduced to Maerina, who at the time had become a national team coach.

Maerina also served as coach to Cris Nievarez, who ended a two-decade wait for another Filipino rower to compete at the Olympics during the pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo Games held three years ago.

Nievarez was 23rd among 31 rowers after becoming the first Filipino rower to reach the quarterfinals thanks to his time of 7:22.97 in the heats, preventing him from having to go through a repechage.

He was eliminated from medal contention after going 7:50.74 in the quarters and being placed in the C/D semifinals, posting 7:26.05 in the semis and 7:21.28 in the final.

Delgaco’s qualification in this year’s Games marked another first for the Philippines by having a rower in back-to-back Olympics.

Follow Inquirer Sports’ special coverage of the Paris Olympics 2024.