Ernie Gawilan wraps up Tokyo Paralympic Games campaign
FILIPINO para-swimmer Ernie Gawilan ended his Paralympic Games campaign on Monday, finishing 10th out of 11 swimmers in the heats for the men’s 100m backstroke S7 event at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre.
The result was not enough to thrust the 30-year-old Mr. Gawilan to the finals later in the day, officially drawing the curtain on his second campaign in the sports event for the differently abled.
Mr. Gawilan, who is lacking both legs and has an underdeveloped left limb, competed in three events in this year’s edition of the Paralympics, reaching the finals once in the 400m freestyle S7 event. He also competed in the 200m individual medley SM7 race.
In his last event, Mr. Gawilan, who a campaigner in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, clocked a time of 1:21.60. Argentina’s Pipo Carlomagno topped the heat with a personal best time of 1:09.12.
Only the top eight swimmers in the heats advanced to the finals.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gawilan’s teammate, Gary Bejino, also failed to advance to the finals of the men’s 50m butterfly-S6 event.
Twenty-five-year-old Mr. Bejino ended up 14th among 16 swimmers with a time of 36.14 seconds. He finished seventh in his heat.
His campaign continues later this week, seeing action in the men’s 400m freestyle-S6 (Sept. 2) and 100m backstroke-S6 (Sept. 3). — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
