Para athletes Gawilan and Alegarbe win gold, Adefuin takes bronze in paraswimming
Team Philippines made a strong start, winning two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze during the first two days of the 5th Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Veteran para swimmer Ernie Gawilan bagged a silver medal in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM7 on Tuesday. Gawilan clocked 2:52.72, finishing behind China's Yilong Zhang, who secured gold with a time of 2:37.69.
The day before, he also successfully defended his title by clocking 4 minutes and 56.72 seconds in the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 final. His victory bagged the Philippines its first gold medal at the Rainbow Pool of Nagoya City General Gymnasium. This was also his fifth gold medal at the Asian Para Games, following three medals in Jakarta in 2018 and another in Hangzhou in 2022.
National para swimming coach Tony Ong told the media that Gawilan’s time secured his qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.
Ariel Joseph Alegarbes, meanwhile, added another gold medal after winning the men’s 100-meter backstroke S14 in 1 minute and 1.56 seconds. He beat South Korea’s Sungho Kang by a mere 0.05 seconds, while Thailand’s Natirat Meeprom took bronze.
"This is my dream come true. A few years [ago], I promised my coach... I promised them I need to get a gold," he told PPC-PSC Media, adding that he dedicates his win to the country, his team, and his coaches.
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Raemond Adefuin also made an impressive debut on Monday, winning bronze in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke SB6 after finishing in 1 minute and 30.76 seconds.
A total of 69 para-athletes from the Philippines are currently competing in 18 disciplines at the 5th Asian Para Games, which run until Oct. 24.
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