(2nd UPDATE) Filipino rower Cris Nievarez bowed out of medal contention in the Tokyo Olympics after a fifth place finish in his quarterfinal heat, Sunday at the Sea Forest Waterway.

Nievarez, competing in his first Olympic Games, crossed the line with a time of 7:50.74.

He was 37.99 seconds behind Oliver Zeidler of Germany, the 2019 world champion who finished with a time of 7:12.75.

Brazil's Luca Ferreira Verthein finished second with a time of 7:14.26, followed by Lithuania's Mindaugas Griskonis (7:16.71).

The top three finishers in the quarterfinal advance to the semifinal A/B and remain in the medal hunt.

Joining Nievarez in semifinal C/D are New Zealand's Jordan Parry, who finished fourth with a time of 7:18.48, and Iraq's Mohammed Al Khafaji (8:03.55).

"Headwind kasi today, hindi gaya noong Friday," Nievarez explained of his performance. "Advantage sa mga rowers na mas malalaki at mas mabigat."

Nievarez will still compete in the classification races to determine his final ranking. The semifinal C/D is set for Monday, still at the Sea Forest Waterway.

The 21-year-old rower was the first Filipino to see action in the Summer Games, and he didn't disappoint as his third-place finish in his heat assured him of a spot in the quarterfinals.

But his time in the quarterfinals of the 2000-meter race was about half a minute slower than his time in the qualifiers.

For breaking news and latest developments on the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, visit https://news.abs-cbn.com/tokyo-olympics

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv