Melita and Antonia Abraham are twin sisters. The 26-year-old athletes are professional rowers, putting Chile, the country where they were born, high up on the map of the sport.
The Abraham sisters have an interesting dynamic and an even more interesting backstory. The two come from a family of athletes and are actually quadruplets, with their brothers, Ignacio and Alfredo, also rowing professionally.
Their journey in the sport began by chance, when a friend of their brothers invited them to a lake, providing them with the opportunity to try their hands at rowing. The sisters have been incredibly successful, winning international competitions, including in locations like Serbia, Bolivia, Poland, and more.
Despite their bond, rowing together can be tough. “It can be very difficult rowing together. We say what we think sometimes without worrying about offending the other person,” said Melita to the Olympics.
We were good sisters growing up and we are best friends. Just sometimes [in the boat] we don’t respect each other.”
When speaking about their brothers, Melita and Antonia reveal that they tried to work together but rapidly realized that that wasn’t their path. “We tried rowing together in the same boat once but we had to turn around after a very short time because we were fighting too much,” said Antonia.