Athletes from the Brazilian rowing team gave up competing in the Pre-Olympics to help rescue flood victims in Rio Grande do Sul. The trio of Alef Fontoura (Pinheiros), Evaldo Becker (Flamengo) and Daniel Lima (GNU) are working on the rescue of families and animals alongside volunteers at the headquarters of Grêmio Náutico União, in the Moinhos de Vento neighborhood, in Porto Alegre.
Rowing athletes help rescue victims in Rio Grande do Sul
Evaldo, who competes in the lightweight double sculls category, alongside Piedro Tuchtenhagen, says he had to give up his Olympic dream. The duo qualified for the Pre-Olympics after winning in the repechage of the qualifying games, which took place at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, in March this year.
– Piedro and I chose not to go to the Pre-Olympics with our families and friends amidst this chaos – explained the athlete.
The competition will take place from May 19th to 21st, in Lucerne, Switzerland. Among the Brazilians already qualified for Paris are Lucas Verthein, in the men’s single sculls, and Beatriz Tavares, in the women’s singles sculls.
– We have guides and material to rescue more people, but at the moment we don’t have a boat to continue our work – said Alef.
While the boat doesn’t arrive, the rowers join the volunteers at Grêmio Náutico União and work at the club’s headquarters in Moinhos de Vento.
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