SANITA PUSPURE’S OLMYPIC medal dream is at an end after she failed to qualify from the women’s single sculls semi-final in Tokyo this morning.
The Irish rower never recovered from a slow start having found herself in fifth place at the 500m stage. As the race continued she strived to work herself into contention but faded at the end. She crossed the line in fifth place and will now compete in the B final.
A top-three finish was required for a spot in the final. After World and European success, there were hopes prior to these games that Puspure could challenge for a medal in Tokyo. Unfortunately, the delay proved costly for the 39-year old.
Russian Hanna Prakatsen took first with a time of 7:23.61. Swiss competitor Jeannine Gmelin finished second and Jiang Yan of China was third.