The Flamengo Regatta Club started this year's State Rowing Championship on the right foot. On Saturday morning (5), the red-and-black team overcame the rainy and cold weather affecting the city of Rio de Janeiro and won the first of the six regattas that make up the competition in an undisputed manner. In total, there were nine victories in thirteen races disputed. The stage for the traditional competition was Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, the birthplace of Rio de Janeiro rowing and historic home of the Founding Sport of the Most Beloved.

The current two-time state champion, Flamengo, once again demonstrated the strength of its rowing. Right away, the Macaquinho Sagrado aces won the first five races and set the tone for the regatta. Flamengo continued their dominance on the water throughout the morning, culminating in the stage victory and the championship lead.

The victory in the opening regatta gains even more significance when considering the Mais Querido's recent record in the competition. Despite winning the last two state titles, Flamengo had not won the first regatta in previous years. This time, the Rubro-Negro takes the lead from the start. 

This year's State Rowing Championship features six stages, all held in Lagoa. In addition to this Saturday's opening round, the calendar continues with races on June 1, July 13, August 31, October 5, and November 16.

Ronaldo Carvalho, president of Flamengo's Rowing Committee, celebrated the team's performance and emphasized the importance of the result. "We won 9 of 13 races. It was a regatta that theoretically doesn't favor us. We've lost the last two years. Last year, the year before. This year we came out on top. We won the first five races. We quickly went five to zero. And we ended up winning 13 of 9 races," he explained. Despite the impressive performance, Ronaldo reinforced the team's work ethic: "It's great to know we're winning, with such a large margin. And even so, there's still a lot to do, a lot to improve. So, it's on from there. For more."

Now, the team is preparing to travel this Monday (7), towards São Paulo, for the Brazilian Short Boat Championship. “We have the Brazilian Championship next week, which we also expect to go very well. The spirits here, the overall mood of the athletes, the coaching staff, are very good. Everyone is in high spirits,” concluded Ronaldo.

Races contested in the first regatta:

2X Junior A Men

4X Female Aspirant

1X Women's Open

4X Master E Male

2X Junior A Women

1X Junior B Women

Yolete Juvenile Female

4X Master B Mixed

1X Men's Under-23 Lightweight

4+ Male Aspirant

2X Youth Men

1X Junior B Men

8+ Women's Open