HANGZHOU – Veteran para swimmer Ernie Gawilan secured the Philippines' first gold medal on Tuesday at the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games, defending his men's 400-meter freestyle S7 title with a time of 4 minutes and 58.29 seconds.
According to a new release by the Philippines News Agency, Gawilan dominated the competition at the Hangzhou Olympic Center Aquatic Arena after falling to a bronze finish in the men's 200-meter individual medley just a day earlier. Gawilan surged ahead at the 150-meter mark, finishing well ahead of his Singaporean rival, Soong Toh Wei, who clocked in at 5:12.16. China's Huang Xiangquan took the bronze with a time of 5:16.33.
The victory was part of a successful day for the Philippines as wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan earned a silver medal in the men's 100-meter T52 finals at the Huanglong Sports Stadium. Mangliwan clocked a personal best time of 18.65 seconds, narrowly edging out South Korea's Jeong Jondae. Japan's Ito Tatsuya retained his title with a new meet record of 17.41 seconds.
National para swimming coach Tony Ong explained that the strategy was for Gawilan to assess his opponents during the early stages of the race before making his move around the halfway mark. "Our goal was to go for the gold and not the record this time," said Ong, referencing Gawilan's previous Asian Para Games record of 4:51 set in Jakarta in 2018.
Gawilan, who is 32 years old, will aim for another gold when he competes in the men's 100-meter backstroke in the closing stages of the swimming championships on Thursday.