Rain or Shine clinches fifth win over Blackwater Bossing
2
Ernie Gawilan reaches swimming final, keeps medal hopes alive for PH
Para swimmer Ernie Gawilan posted his third-fastest time in the heats to advance in the final of the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 in the 17th Paralympic Games.
Gawilan registered a time of 5:00.13 minutes and wound up third overall at the Paris La Defense Arena. A redemption performance two days after he failed to qualify for the medal race of the men’s 200-meter individual medley SM7.
PHOTO COURTESY: PARALYMPICS
“So far, I feel good. I will pour everything I have into the final,” said Gawilan.
Evan Austin of the United States emerged as the top swimmer after clocking in 4:46.54 while Aleksei Ganiuk of Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) finished in second place with a 4:56.68 record.
Only the top eight swimmers in the nine-man field will proceed to the finals.
If the 33-year-old decorated para swimmer makes the podium, he will become just the third Filipino para athlete to win a Paralympic medal after Adeline Dumapong in the 2000 Paralympics and table tennis player Josephine Medina in the 2016 edition of the Games.
