Romanian athlete Catalin Chirila, who qualified directly for the semifinals of Men's Canoe Single 1000m at the Paris 2024 Olympics after winning the third heat with a new Olympic record, said on Wednesday that time is irrelevant for him, his only goal being to finish first, told Agerpres.
"The time is irrelevant, to be honest, I had even better times than the one I achieved here with slightly less wind. I don't think about time, it's irrelevant. I'm world champion at 4 minutes and 16 seconds, so I just want to get to the finish line first, no matter the time I set. I'm sure my opponents weren't at their best either. I'll analyse them today and tomorrow but I won't abuse this, because I have a new race to prepare. But from experience, I know that they did not row at maximum capacity," said Chirila.
The Semifinals and Final of Men's Canoe Single 1000m are scheduled two hours apart, which is something new for Chirila, who voices his hope that he will be more resilient than his opponents.
"It will be different for me, I've never rowed two races two hours apart. The last one was in Tokyo in the Canoes Double. I think it's the same for all my opponents. I like to think that I have more stamina than the others and I pray to God to keep me as fresh before the race, because that's the most important thing. Tactics are sacred for any athlete, you need that discipline, which I didn't have in this race," the athlete said, adding that he had to change tactics because his opponent rowed harder in the first half of the race.
Romanian athlete Catalin Chirila qualified directly for the Semifinals of the Men's Canoe Single 1000m on Wednesday at the Paris 2024 Olympics after winning the third heat with a new Olympic record
Chirila, the 2022 world champion and 2023 world vice-champion, clocked 3 min 44 sec 75/100.
The Semifinals (12:30) and Final - B (14:40) and A (14:50) - are scheduled on August 9.
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