Former Cal standout Kara Kohler qualified for her second Olympic Games on Friday, winning the championship in the single sculls at the U.S Rowing Trials at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida.

Kohler was an All-American at Cal then went on to capture the bronze medal in the quadruple sculls at the 2012 Olympics in London. She switched to the single sculls in 2018 and won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships.

"It's a huge relief," Kohler said. "I've worked incredibly hard the past few years to race the single in Tokyo, so there was a lot riding on today's race. But I had fun and trusted everything I've done up to this point."

Kohler represents the first U.S. athlete who has qualified in the sport of rowing. The rowing competition at the Summer Games will run from July 23-30 at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo.

Kohler used the second quarter of the finals to take an extensive lead over Gevvie Stone, the silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She continued to pull away during the third 500 meters and won by nearly four seconds.

"We have always been proud of Kara," Cal head coach Al Acosta said. "She's an amazing person and an inspiration to us all. We are thrilled that she is achieving her dreams and that she will be representing the U.S.A in Tokyo."