On Friday (22), Brazilian Ana Satella secured a place in the Paris Olympic Games during the World Boat Slalom race, held in Lee Valley, United Kingdom. The place was secured after the boat finished 10th in the C1 semi-finals, thus qualifying for the championship final. Therefore, the athlete is the first to have her Brazilian passport stamped to participate in the Olympics in this sport.
With a time of 115s92, Anna was able to occupy tenth place, a position that qualifies her for the Olympics. Brazil needed to be among the top 12 countries in the C1 semi-finals, so a place was guaranteed for the Brazilian. However, in the decision, Anna Satella placed fifth. This is the fourth time that the Brazilian has represented Brazil in Olympic competition and is considered the best in the country.
“I trained a lot to get to the top of the World Cup. I did my best, everything I could give to be here. I was happy with the result, and I’m very happy that I won the Olympic place for Brazil. With the fifth place, I was pre-seeded and I’m very happy. I would like To thank everyone who supported the fans,” celebrated Brazilian Ana Satella.
Performance in the final and podium finish
Current world champion and big favourite, Andrea Herzog, suffered a 50-second penalty for missing Gate 7, so the German’s setback was key to Anna finishing 10th in the race. Furthermore, she was the only Brazilian to compete in the semi-finals.
Ana Satella secures Brazil’s place in the Olympics (Photo: Reproduction/GE/Justin Setterfield/GettyImages).
Anna Satella’s time in the final was 115s 77s, giving her fifth place. The winner and world champion was Britain’s Mallory Franklin with a time of 108.05. Behind her and forming the podium are Kimberly Woods (England) and Jessica Fox (Australia).
History of Anna Satella
Anna began her professional rowing career at the age of nine. Since then, she has achieved remarkable achievements: she made her debut at the London Olympics in 2012, and was the youngest athlete in the Brazilian delegation, at just 16 years old. After her debut, she continued her presence in the following Olympic Games, such as Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Ana Satella became the first Brazilian woman to reach the Olympic final in canoeing slalom.
Male performance in rowing
Charles Correa was Brazil’s representative in rowing, but the rider did not have a good race and finished 29th. The Brazilian was given a 50-second penalty and also fouled a few gates during the race. Due to this, the Brazilian boat was unable to qualify for the decision.
Featured image: Anna Satella in the World Rowing Cup final. Clone / Instagram / @anasatila_vargas.
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