HANGZHOU — A casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic was one-armed taekwondo jin Alain Ganapin, whose bid to compete in the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021 was derailed after he was struck down by the virus just a few days before he was to go and see action in the Japanese capital.
That painful what-might-have-been experience was etched in the memory of the Marikina native, who vowed to work hard and rekindle his Olympic dream, no matter the cost and sacrifice required.
The grinding journey to the Paris Paralympic Games began in May 2022 when he ruled the men’s -70-kilogram division of the Asian Para Games Qualification Tournament held in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, punching a ticket to the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
Coach Gershon Bautista said that the athlete has not only been undergoing rigorous training the last three months at the Philippine Taekwondo Association Central Gym inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, but also intense physical conditioning for this meet.
“He (Ganapin) is better off now compared to three months ago,” Mr. Bautista noted of his tuneup matches with some of the able-bodied national team members, among them celebrated veteran and Southeast Asian Games champ Samuel Morrison.
“We believe he (Mr. Ganapin) has achieved a good fitness level for him to perform well in this Asian Para Games,” said the coach, adding that the athlete’s strength and stamina levels were at par before being stricken by the virus, if not better.
Proof that Mr. Ganapin was back in competitive shape was last July when he bagged a bronze in the Australian Open, an Olympic ranking qualifying competition.
Hence, he will be killing two birds with one stone in achieving a podium finish in his debut here. Mr. Bautista, who revealed that his ward is currently ranked No. 24 in the world ratings. “He has a bigger chance of making it to Paris if he is within the top 20 in the world because this event has more qualifying points.”
The country has never had a taekwondo jin competing in the Paralympic Games, and should everything go according to plan, Mr. Ganapin is keen on being the one by going all-out for golden glory at the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games here. — PSC
