Saudi rower Husein Alireza has revealed to Arab News the strategy undertaken by his team at Tokyo 2020 that allowed him to manage an injury-hit games. After a deliberately cautious Men’s Single Sculls Semifinal A/B at Sea Forest Waterway in the early hours of Sunday morning he can now aim for Tuesday’s Semifinal C/D with a chance to improve his overall ranking.
A serious rib injury in the run-up to the Olympics stopped him training for weeks, and three races in three days in high heat and humidity — which left three competitors suffering with heat stroke — were always going to take a physical toll on Alireza, who has had trouble with his breathing in the conditions.
On Saturday morning, only hours after carrying the Saudi flag alongside sprinter Yasmine Al-Dabbagh at the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020, Alireza reached the quarterfinals with a second-place finish in Repechage 3. However, his restricted row to a sixth place finish on Sunday means he will race in Semifinal C/D for an opportunity to finish as high as possible in the field.
The 27-year-old guaranteed a minimum ranking of 24 out of the 32 participants in the Men’s Single Sculls by reaching the quarterfinal.
He will now take part in the Men’s Single Sculls Semifinal C/D 2 on Tuesday (2.30am KSA)
Alireza suffered a punctured lung during an Olympic Qualification Regatta on May 5, which left him unable to train until June 22, just three weeks before his scheduled departure for Tokyo.
Alireza’s camp revealed that, with the injury expected to heal in no less than three months without any physical exertions, the rower was advised give Tokyo 2020 a miss. However, he insisted on taking part in a once in lifetime opportunity to represent the Kingdom at the Olympics.
After discussion with his coaching team, it was decided that the best strategy for Alireza would be to concentrate on improving his performance in the Semifinal C/D rather than aim for practically impossible route to the medals.
