Another golden shark
NAGOYA—Team Philippines got a second gold in the pool on Tuesday after Ariel Joseph Alegarbes seized the men’s 100-meter backstroke S14 title in the Asian Para Games, coming a day after another shark, Ernie Gawilan, broke the ice for the determined Filipino contingent.
After having the second-fastest time in qualifying, the 21-year-old native of Victoria City in Negros Occidental gave it all he had and came out triumphant in one of the closest races of the meet, clocking one minute and 1.56 seconds to nip South Korea’s Kang Sung-ho, who was timed at 1:01.61.
Alegarbes, diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, thus became the third medalist for the Philippines after that Gawilan victory in the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 and Raemond Adefuin’s bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke SB6.
Thailand’s Natirat Meeprom, who posted the fastest qualifying time in the heats, settled for third in 1:02.08.
The Alegarbes feat kept the Philippines in 14th place in the overall medal tally, even as Gawilan on Tuesday bared that his 8-month-old daughter, Eliana, will be wearing his gold medal once he gets home.
“I will hang this around her neck when I get home,” Gawilan said in Filipino as he looks forward to sharing his latest title with Eliana.
The medal also carries special meaning for his wife, Ilonah Jane, as the couple will celebrate their first wedding anniversary on Oct. 28.
On Monday, the veteran swimmer turned that wish for Eliana into reality, overcoming an early challenge from China’s Zhang Yilong to capture his third consecutive men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 crown at Nagoya City General Gymnasium.
The 35-year-old Davao City native clocked four minutes and 56.72 seconds, finishing 4.64 seconds ahead of Zhang. Singapore’s Toh Wei Soong took bronze in 5:24.23.
Gawilan on Tuesday also added a silver to the PH cache after finishing behind China’s Zhang Yilong in the 200-meter individual medley.
Gawilan had to dig deep to keep his title as Zhang led through the opening 200 meters before the Filipino took control and pushed through an exhausting finish.
“I just tried not to look at him heading to the finish, knowing that he was behind me,” Gawilan said as the victory extended his reign in the event following triumphs in Jakarta in 2018 and Hangzhou in 2023. It was his fifth Asian Para Games gold overall, adding to the three he won in Jakarta and one in Hangzhou.
Yilong ruled the medley final in an Asian-record 2:37.69, with Gawilan clocking 2:52.72.
Meanwhile, Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo said the swimmers’ victories could inspire more Filipino athletes to reach the podium.
“Well, again, it inspires and motivates the others to do the same, doesn’t it?” Barredo said, as bets in track and field get going on Wednesday.
In archery at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square, Marzel Burgos, Agustina Bantiloc and Jannah Kate Ballesta suffered heartbreaking defeats, as did the mixed team of Bantiloc and Burgos.
Burgos absorbed a 147-142 loss to China’s Ai Xinliang in the men’s compound elimination round; Bantiloc was stopped by another Chinese archer, Zhao Jing, 147-135, in the women’s compound; and Ballesta fell to South Korea’s Kim Ok-geum, 6-5.
Burgos and Bantiloc later teamed up in the mixed compound but absorbed a stinging 148-147 loss to Chinese Taipei’s Lee Yun Hsien and Yang Jyun Kai.
Over at the Izu Velodrome in track cycling, Nikko Peralta and Patrick Lee failed to advance in the 4,000-meter individual pursuit in their respective classes.
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