Wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan recorded a time fast enough to qualify for the finals of the men’s 400m T52 event in the Tokyo Paralympics on Friday, August 27.

Mangliwan clocked 1:03.41 and wound up at seventh place overall to punch his ticket to the championship race of the event where he finished seventh in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Although he did not directly advance to the finals after placing fourth in Heat 1, the 41-year-old still reached the next round by tallying the fastest time outside the top three of each of the two heats.

Only eight competitors qualified for the finals: the top three of each of the two heats and the next two fastest racers.

Hometown bet Tomoki Sato of Japan topped the qualification with 57.33, while Raymond Martin of the United States, who is of Filipino descent, placed second with a season-best of 57.70.

Edgar Navarro Sanchez of Mexico, a gold medalist in the men’s 200m T51 event in the 2004 Paralympics, got disqualified in Heat 2 following an unfortunate false start.

Mangliwan will vie for a medal in the finals, which is scheduled later in the day at 7:16 pm. – Rappler.com