TOKYO. – Wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan and discus thrower Jeanette Aceveda are undaunted by the elite opposition they will be up against in their respective events in the World Paralympic Games here.
“Ang umaaayaw ay hindi mag-wawagi. Kaya hindi tayo umaayaw,” said Mangliwan, who was struck by polio at the age of two.
“Kung titignan natin ‘yung record nila (the opposition), malakas po sila. Pero malakas din po tayo,” echoed Aceveda in an interview last Monday at the Athletes Village.
Aceveda, who won three gold medals in the 2013 Asean Para Games in Myanmar, is aware of the challenges facing them in their stint fully supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
“Salang-sala na po ‘yan sa bansang pinanggalingan nila so battle of the champions na po yan. Hindi po tayo susuko,” said the 50-year-old mother of three who manages three massage therapy clinics in different malls in Marikina.
Mangliwan, the country’s standard-bearer during the opening ceremonies at the Japan National Stadium on Tuesday night, will be the first to see action on Friday in the T52 men’s 400-meter race, with the heats scheduled in the morning and the finals in the evening.
His coach, Joel Deriada, believes the 2016 Rio Para Games veteran is capable of reaching the finals.
“Nakita na namin ‘yung record ng kalaban ni coach Joel kaya nakita namin may malaking pag-asa ako makapasok sa event na ito,” Mangliwan said. “‘Yun ang pinaka-goal ko — to make it to the finals. Kung makuha ko ‘yung goal ko na yon, all out na po doon.”
“Bali gusto din po natin makapasok sa finals. At siyempre po, manalo. Ibibigay namin ‘yung best namin,” said Aceveda, who suffered a degenerative disease at the age of three that has left her technically blind in both eyes.
