New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
State native Petrik leads USA to silver medal
A 2020 Paralympic medal is coming home to Connecticut.
New Britain native and 2015 Glastonbury High School graduate Karen Petrik helped lead Team USA to a silver medal in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four Sunday at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Petrik, in her Paralympic debut as Team USA’s coxswain, helped get the U.S out to a fast and competitive start in the event’s final race Sunday morning in Tokyo.
The U.S., racing in lane two, started the 2,000-meter race going headto-head with Great Britain for the early lead. The two traded the lead before Great Britain crossed the 500meter mark 0.77 seconds ahead of the USA in 1:45:10. From that point on, the U.S. struggled to maintain speed allowing Great Britain to separate themselves in the lead by over four seconds. Team USA crossed the halfway mark behind Great Britain in second in 3:36:43.
Team USA held its second-place spot throughout the final 500 meters, crossing the 1,500-meter mark at 5:28:48 and the finish line in 7:20:13, winning the silver. Great Britain’s winning time of 7:09:08 gave the country its third-consec
utive Paralympic Gold in the event, while this summer was the first time the race was competed at 2,000 meters.
Petrik had led the U.S. to a first-place finish on Aug. 26 in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four Prelims with a personal best time of 7:19:97 to automatically advance to the event’s A Final.
In lane four, Team USA started the race with a fast
kick to grab hold of the lead and become the first boat to reach the 500-meter mark at 1:45;05. The U.S. didn’t lose steam as it was first to pass the 1,000-meter (3:36;44) and 1,500-meter marks (5:29;65). With less than 500 meters remaining,
Team USA was at least a boat length ahead of Australia (in second place) and won the race with a personal best time to advance to the A Final.