THANKS to their strong showing in the World Para Grand Prix in New Delhi, India last March, seven national track and field para athletes qualified for the 12th World Para Athletic Championships slated Sept. 26 to Oct. 5 also in India, according to national para athletic head coach Joel Deriada.
“We will have seven athletes, or four more than we had in the previous world para athletics championships,” said Deriada, whose athletes went home with five gold, six silver and four bronze medals at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the bustling Indian capital.
They will be bannered by wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan and wheelchair thrower Cendy Asusano, veterans of the last Paris Paralympic Games.
Mangliwan, who won two golds in the World Para Grand Prix, met the minimum entry standards in the men’s 100-meter, 400-meter and 1,500-meter T52 events while Asusano booked her ticket in the women’s javelin throw F54, where she won the mint with a heave of 14.79 meters in New Delhi.
Making her debut in the world para athletic meet is Roselie Torrefiel, who surpassed the minimum entry standard twice in the women’s discus throw F11 of 18 meters flat with a heave of 19.72 meters in the world para meet in Kobe, Japan last year and 18.52 meters in New Delhi.
Joining them are men’s 100-meter T47 runner Arvie John Areglado, men’s 1,500-meter T46 racer King James Reyes and men’s T20 long jumper Ronn-Russel Mitra.
“That we have seven qualified para track and field athletes for the world para meet shows that the standards are steadily improving and bodes well for our campaign in the Asean Para Games in Thailand next year,” noted Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo.
Next up are the country’s national para swimmers, bannered by Paris Paralympians Ernie Gawilan and Angel Mae Otom, who plunged into action in the fourth leg of the Para Swimming World Series in Fuji, Japan yesterday.
Considered the senior statesman of local para swimming, Gawilan, 33, is competing in the men’s 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle S7, men’s 50-meter butterfly S7 and the men’s 200-meter individual medley SM7 events.
The limbless Otom is set to vie in the women’s 50-meter freestyle, backstroke and butterfly S5 events.
Tokyo Paralympic Games veteran Gary Bejino is to compete in the men’s 50, 100, 400-meter freestyle S6 and 50-meter butterfly S6 races while Ariel Joseph Alegarbes competes in the men’s 100-meter freestyle, backstroke, butterfly S14 and men’s 200-meter individual medley SM 14 events.
Roland Sabido is competing in the men’s 50, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke S9 events while Marco Tinamisan is lined up for the men’s 50, 100, 200-meter S4 freestyle and 50-meter backstroke SB3 events.
Rounding out the list of Pinoy para swimming bets is Muhamin Ulag, who is seeing action in the men’s 50-meter freestyle S9, 50-meter breaststroke SB9 and 200-meter individual medley SM9 events.
“The Para Swimming World Series is the qualifying pathway for the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore in September,” said national para swimming head coach Tony Ong.
“One of our main purposes is Tinamisan’s classification schedule this year so he can qualify for the worlds,” added Ong of the swimmer who won a silver and bronze medal in the Cambodia Asean Para Games in 2023, compared to two mints in the previous edition in Surakarta, Indonesia.
