By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA & MARK REY MONTEJO
Angel Otom bolstered her bid for a podium finish at the 2024 Paris Paralympics after qualifying to the finals of the women’s 50-meter butterfly S5 on Friday, Sept. 6, at the Paris La Defense Arena.
The armless wonder from Olongapo City timed 46.85 seconds to finish third in her heat and fifth overall to advance to the medal round.
It was better than her last year’s world championships mark of 47.52sec.
As expected, Chinese sensation Lu Dong led the qualifiers with 40.50sec, followed by teammate He Shenggao (43.11sec) and Turkey’s Sevilay Ozturk (44.70sec).
Also competing for the medals are China’s Cheng Jiao (46.01sec), Italy’s Giulia Ghiretti (47.81sec), Brazil’s Esthefany Rodrigues (49.32sec), and Turkey’s Sumeyye Boyaci (51.87sec).
Meantime, wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan settled for sixth place in the men’s 100-meter T52 event.
Mangliwan, 44, crossed the line in 19.44 seconds but it was not enough to advance to the finals.
Japan’s Tomoki Sato led the qualifiers with 17.20sec while Canada’s Anthony Bouchard (17.43sec) and Mexico’s Salvador Hernandez Mondragon (17.45sec) landed second and third places, respectively.
Another Japanese bet Tomoya Ito (17.58sec) also booked his finals ticket, as well as world record holder and 400m-T52 champion Maxime Carabin of Belgium with a personal-best 16.21sec, Great Britain’s Marcus Daley (16.87sec), Mexican Leonardo Juarez (17.57sec) and Tatsuya Ito (17.76sec).
That marked the final appearance for the pride of Tabuk, Kalinga after also a failed bid in the men’s 400m T52 where he made it to the final round but finished dead last.
Mangliwan joins archer Agustina Bantiloc, swimmer Ernie Gawilan, and taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin in the PH cheering squad.
