Portsmouth, NH Rowers Michelle Sechser, Molly Reckford Finish 5th

It was a close race with less than a second separating them but Portsmouth rower Michelle Sechser finished fifth in the Women's lightweight double sculls at the Summer Olympics on Wednesday night.

Sechser and rowing partner Molly Reckford had a time of 6:48:54 behind Great Britain (6:48:04), the Netherlands (6:48:03), France (6:47:68) and Italy (6:47:54). It was the third 5th place finish for the US rowing team at the games but also the closest race ever.

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Phillips Exeter Academy graduates Sechser and Reckford both call Portsmouth home. They earned their way into the Olympics at the 2021 World Rowing Final Olympic Qualification Regatta. Sechser was born in San Luis Obispo, California while Reckford is from Short Hills, New Jersey.

The next Seacoast Olympian scheduled to compete is Sanford native Rachel Schneider in the 5,000-meter women's track and field Friday morning. She posted a picture of herself on her Instagram at the Olympic stadium on Wednesday.

"Stadium walk-through this morning brought the excitement to a whole new level! Can’t wait for Track & Field events to start Friday," she wrote.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH

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Filed Under: 2021 Summer Olympics, Portsmouth, Rockingham County

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