By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Para swimmer Ernie Gawilan and para archer Agustina Bantiloc were named as the country’s flag-bearers in the opening ceremony of the 17th Paralympic Games on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at the Champs-Elysees to Place de la Concorde in Paris, France.
Gawilan and Bantiloc will join four other Filipino Paralympians in the day parade that include track and field athletes Jerrold Mangliwan and Cendy Asusano, para swimmer Angel Otom, and para taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin.
Gawilan, who is the country’s first gold medalist at the Asian Para Games, is in his third Paralympic stint, having competed in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo editions.
Bantiloc, meanwhile, is the first Filipino para archer to qualify in the meet.
The country was originally given 15 to 16 slots for the parade of nations, but Paris Paralympic Games organizers reduced their allocation to 10 according to PH Paralympic team chief of mission Ral Rosario.
Meanwhile, Bantiloc will be the first Filipino to see action in the event when she competes in the women’s individual compound on Thursday, Aug. 29.
The PH team hopes to return to the podium after winning two bronze medals in the history of the Games courtesy of para powerlifter Adeline Dumapong in the 2000 Sydney and the late para table tennis player Josephine Medina in the 2016 Rio.
