HPG alumna Shelley Pearson just became the first female rower to qualify to represent Bermuda at the Olympic Games, and will be the first rower to represent the small island country since 1972's Jim Butterfield.
Competing in the Women's Single at the Latin American Olympic Qualifiers in Curauma, Chile, Shelley officially punched her ticket to Rio yesterday after winning her semifinal and progressing to the A-Final, as the 12 athletes were competing for 6 Olympic spots. Shelley did one better today by winning the final, besting 2013 Lightweight Women's 1x world medalist Fabiana Beltrame of Brazil by 2.5 seconds.
Shelley's road has been a long one plagued with injury (she had 9 surgeries in 2 years), but she has displayed tremendous perseverance and determination. For more information on Shelley's long journey to this point, read here, and for more information on her recent qualification, read here.
