THANKS to the return of the National Para Games, national para track and field coach Joel Deriada has found a pint-sized athlete who has the potential to make a big difference for the country in international play.
Deriada credits the comeback of the athletic competition at the Philsports oval in Pasig City to his discovery of 5-foot-3 “dwarf” Rocky Lagroño of Maramag, Bukidnon in the meet backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and organized by the Philippine Paralympic Committee.
“Magaling na bata si Rocky. I was impressed by his performance so he will now be part of the national training pool starting next year,” the coach said of the athlete who won a gold each in the men’s discus and javelin throw F40.
With less than a year’s training, Lagroño flung the discus to a winning distance of 15 meters and the javelin to 21 meters, which are comparable to regional standards, according to Deriada.
So impressed was the athletic mentor by the athlete’s potential that he offered him a spot in the national training pool right away on top of gifting him with two new pairs of Nike shoes.
Polio-stricken Maramag Person Disability Affairs Office head Alpio Dacut Jr., who also saw action in the NPG and bagged a gold in the men’s 97-100-kilogram class powerlifting event, was proud of his townmate’s achievement.
“I took him as one of my assistants at the Maramag PDAO when I spotted him playing football with high school boys. When I learned from coach Joel that there would be a category for athletes with dwarfism, I then told Rocky to shift to athletics,” Dacut said.