Cuban rower Reidy Cardona advances to the quarterfinals in the Paris Olympics.

The Cuban rower Reidy Cardona advanced to the quarter-finals on the first day of the Paris Olympics.

Cardona, who competes in the men's single scull event, open weight, achieved a time of 7:06.45 minutes, placing him in third position in heat 5, in a race that granted three direct spots to the quarterfinals.

The capital resident was surpassed by the German Oliver Zeidler, who dominated the entire competition and won with a time of 6:54.52, always followed by the Uruguayan Bruno Cetraro, who finished with 7:04.04.

For its part, the Cuban remained in third place throughout the event with "a very smart performance," according to the specialized portal Swing Completo.

"The first 500 meters were covered in 1:42.57 and he closed the first half in 3:32.07. He was able to maintain that pace during the 1500 and finished with a time of 5:20.45. Finally, he took third place without much difficulty, with a final time of 7:06.45," the publication details.

These are the first Olympics for Cardona, 28 years old. He qualified on March 17 at the continental pre-Olympic rowing tournament in Rio de Janeiro, where he secured the last of the five spots by clocking a time of 7:42.77.

On the other hand, another Cuban competed this Saturday at the Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in the same event as Cardona. This is Yariulvis Cobas, who, unlike her compatriot, did not qualify, finishing in fifth place in heat 3, with a time of 8:13.11 minutes.

The Guantanamera, who already participated in the London 2012 Games, finished last in her qualifying heat and will have to go to the repechage next Sunday, July 28, which is her last chance to try to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.