Kristian Vassilev qualified for the quarterfinals of the skiff at the Olympic rowing tournament in Paris, BTA reported.
Vasilev, who became the first Bulgarian athlete to start at the Games in the French capital, covered the distance of 2000 meters with the second time in the last sixth heat with 6:56.63 minutes under the rain of the rowing channel. He was surpassed only by the fourth from the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 Sveri Nielsen (Denmark) with 6:53.50 minutes.
World runner-up Simon van Dorp (Netherlands) was the fastest in the heats in the third heat, who was the only one to go under 6:50 minutes with 6:49.93 minutes.
Defending Tokyo 2020 champion Stefanos Douskos (Greece) moves on to the quarter-finals with a controlled row and a second time in the first heat of 7:01.79. World champion Oliver Zeidler (Germany) also successfully passed the screenings and won the fifth heat with 6:54.72 minutes.
The top three in each race qualified directly for the quarter-finals on July 30, with the rest rowing in repechages tomorrow. The 32-year-old from Plodiv is the only Bulgarian representative in men's rowing in the French capital, while the country is represented in women's rowing by Desislava Angelova, who will also start in the heats on a skiff later today shortly before noon Bulgarian time.
Vasilev is participating in his second Olympics after finishing ninth in double sculls at Rio 2016.