MANILA – Filipino wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan clocked 1:04.55 to finish eighth in the men’s 400-meter T52 event at the Paralympic Games held at Stade de France on Friday night (Saturday morning, PH time).
Mangliwan, who secured his spot in the finals by placing seventh in the heats with a time of 1:05.79, faced a tough field in the final round.
The gold medal was claimed by reigning world champion Maxime Carabine of Belgium, who finished in 55.10 seconds. Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Sato Tomoki took the silver with a time of 56.26, while fellow Japanese athlete Ito Tomoya secured the bronze, clocking in at 1:01.08.
Over at Les Invalides shooting range, para archer Agustina Bantiloc bowed out in the opening knockout round of the women’s compound event. She was defeated by Brazil’s Jane Karla Gogel, 143-127.
Coach Joel Deriada shared that Mangliwan struggled in the first 150 meters of his race but managed to pick up speed in the last 250 meters, nearly catching up to the seventh-place finisher. “Jerrold also mentioned that he had a tough start. He offered no excuses and knows there’s more he can achieve,” Deriada said. “In practice, he clocked 1:02 and 1:03, so we know he has potential.”
Mangliwan, who set a personal best of 1:01.35 at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, will compete in one more event, the 100-meter T52 race, with heats on September 5 and the finals on September 6.
Despite missing out on a podium finish, Mangliwan’s determination and performance in reaching the finals were commendable, especially after his disqualification in Tokyo 2021 for crossing into the wrong lane close to the finish line.
el Amigo/mnm
