Differently abled athletes take the spotlight as the Tokyo Paralympics gets underway from August 24 to September 5.
Six Filipinos punched their tickets to Tokyo and they will compete with over 4,500 para athletes who will see action in the 16th edition of the Summer Paralympic Games.
Asian Games gold medalist Ernie Gawilan (para swimming) spearheads the Philippine delegation that includes Gary Bejino (para swimming), Jerrold Mangliwan and Jeanette Aceveda (para athletics), Allain Ganapin (para taekwondo), and Achelle Guion (para powerlifting).
The six-man Filipino lineup, however, has been reduced to five after the Philippine Paralympic Committee announced a para athlete tested positive for the coronavirus alongside coaches and officials.
In this edition, the country aims to surpass its bronze-medal finishes in the 2000 Sydney and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games courtesy of Adeline Dumapong (para powerlifting) and Josephine Medina (para table tennis), respectively.
Can the Philippines replicate its success in the recently concluded Olympics and leave its mark in Tokyo for its best Paralympics campaign?
LATEST UPDATES
Gary Bejino ‘more relaxed’ for penultimate Paralympics event
Para swimmer Gary Bejino will be the lone Filipino competing on Thursday, September 2, but he’s hoping to have already adjusted to competing at the highest level of sports.
Bejino, a first-time qualifier in the Paralympic Games, will see action in his second to the last event, the men’s 400m freestyle S6, at the Tokyo Aquatics Center at 8 am, Philippine time.
Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) chief Mike Barredo said that the country’s Tokyo Games campaign has been hindered by several challenges, with discus thrower Jeanette Aceveda becoming the latest member of the team to become infected with COVID-19.
Aceveda, who was slated to compete on Tuesday, August 31, missed her chance to become the first visually-impaired Filipino to participate in the Paralympics after she tested positive for COVID-19.
Swimmer Gary Bejino fails to advance to men’s 50m butterfly finals
FINAL: There will be no finals slot for Filipino para swimmer Gary Bejino in the men's 50m butterfly S6 as he wound up at 14th place overall with a time of 36.14.
Para swimmer Ernie Gawilan ends his #Tokyo2020#Paralympics stint as he fails to reach the finals of the men’s 100m backstroke S7. Gawilan landed 10th place overall.
