Portuguese European champions Afonso Costa and Patrícia Batista have secured their spot in the quarterfinals of the World Coastal Rowing Championship in Antalya, Turkey.
The duo, reigning European champions in the mixed double scull, triumphed in their second qualifying heat on Saturday.
Costa and Batista recorded a time of 2 minutes, 16.22 seconds. They outperformed New Zealand’s Matthew Dunham and Erin James, who finished with a time of 2 minutes, 18.91 seconds.
The Portuguese pair will compete against Tunisia’s Mohamed Hafsa and Khadija Krimi in Sunday’s quarterfinal event.
Meanwhile, other Portuguese athletes experienced earlier exits from the competition. Bruna Parente was eliminated in the women’s individual event. She completed her heat in 2 minutes, 48.08 seconds, falling to Spain’s Teresa Moreno, who finished in 2 minutes, 44.40 seconds.
In the under-19 individual competition, Dinis Oliveira was knocked out in the quarterfinals. Spain’s Ignacio Garcia defeated him with a time of 2 minutes, 25.59 seconds. Oliveira finished his race in 2 minutes, 30.05 seconds.