SWIMMER Gary Bejino was awarded with a bipartite slot by World Para Swimming yesterday to become the fifth Filipino athlete to qualify for the World Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in late August.
A bronze medalist in the 2017 ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Bejino was awarded a slot in the men’s 200-meter individual medley, 100-meter backstroke and 400-meter freesyle in the S6/SB6/SM6 class.
He is the second swimmer to qualify for the World Para Games after Ernie Gawilan, a 2017 ASEAN Para Games triple gold medalist, who will see action in the same men’s events in the S7/SB7/SM7 category.
The two swimmers will be in the national contingent that also includes athletic campaigners Jerold Mangliwan and Jeanette Acevedo and taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin.
“We are happy that para swimmer Bejino has earned a slot to the Tokyo Paralymics.
Hopefully Team Philippines can garner a few more athletes to increase our chances of getting medals at the Games,” Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo said.
“We would like to thank the Philippine Sports Commission under PSC chairman Butch Ramirez for its continuing support despite the challenging times. Kudos to our fine and inspiring Paralympians,” Barredo added.
There were five standard-bearers in four sports in the 2016 Rio Para Games, with polio-stricken table tennis player Josephine Medina bringing home a bronze medal.
