Cover Agustina Bantiloc, Allain Ganapin, Cendy Asusano, Angel Otom, Ernie Gawilan, and Jerrold Mangliwan. The six Filipino athletes who represented the Philippines at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games (Photo: Facebook / Philippine Sports Commission)
Agustina Bantiloc, Allain Ganapin, Cendy Asusano, Angel Otom, Ernie Gawilan, and Jerrold Mangliwan. The six Filipino athletes who represented the Philippines at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games (Photo: Facebook / Philippine Sports Commission)
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As the Paris 2024 Paralympics comes to a close, we look back at the performances of our Filipino para-athletes
On August 28, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games commenced, and six Filipinos represented the Philippines for a shot at glory. While our athletes weren’t able to secure any medals this year, they put up a good fight and made our country proud by bringing Filipino talent to the global stage. From taekwondo and swimming to para-athletics and archery, each of them showcased their skills with confidence and grace. In this article, we take a look at each of our athletes’ performance in Paris.
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Ernie Gawilan
Above Ernie Gawilan finishes sixth in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley finals
Agustina Bantiloc
Gawilan’s co-flag bearer, para archer Agustina Bantiloc, currently holds 19th place in the world ranking for archery in the Compound Women Open category. In the recently concluded Paralympics, she competed in the Women’s Individual Compound Open event, where she placed 28th and set her season-best with a score of 618.
Angel Otom
Above A glimpse into Angel Otom's Paralympic journey
Making her Paralympic debut, 21-year-old para swimmer Angel Otom competed in two events—the Women’s 50m Backstroke and Women’s 50m Butterfly—where she reached the finals in both. For heat one of her backstroke, Otom finished fourth with a time of 44.03. She finished sixth with a time of 44.00. Her performance in the butterfly was significantly better, placing third with a time of 46.85 in heat one and fifth with a time of 45.78 in the finals.
Also see: 6 things to know about the Paralympian Agustina Bantiloc
Jerrold Mangliwan
Above Jerrold Mangliwan's Paralympic journey
A returning Paralympian, wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan represented the Philippines a third time as he competed in the Men’s 100m T52 and Men’s 400 T52. For the 100m race, he battled against athletes from Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Switzerland and placed sixth with a time of 19.44. For the 400m race, he finished fourth in heat one with a time of 1:05.79—advancing him to the finals where he placed eighth with a time of 1:04.55.
Allain Ganapin
After qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and being the first Filipino to qualify for Taekwondo, Allain Ganapin competes in Paris, where he won against Azerbaijan’s Abulfaz Abuzarli with a staggering 22 points in the Men’s 80kg K44 category. However, in a future rematch, he would lose to Abulfaz in a close game—ending with a score of nine against Abulfaz’s 12.
Cendy Asusano
Above Cendy Asusano places fourth in the Women's Javelin Throw F54
Flag bearer to the closing ceremony alongside Ganapin, Paralympic javelin thrower Cendy Asusano was one place short of bagging a medal in the Women’s Javelin Throw F54 category, with a distance of 15.05 metres.
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About
Gabriel found his passion for writing through poetry in high school. He sharpened his skills at Ateneo de Manila University and hopes to write a play worthy of Broadway one day. A self-proclaimed geek, he loves to spend his free time playing video games and board games. When he's not clicking heads on Valorant or roleplaying as a barbarian in Dungeons and Dragons, you can find him exploring art galleries or watching stage plays.
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A creative writer who writes about anything and everything, Gabriel loves to dive deep into the arts and culture scene—as well as going on long road trips for travel pieces.
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