MANILA — Negrense swimmer Ariel Joseph Alegarbes struck gold in a thrilling finish at the 5th Asian Para Games in Japan, edging his South Korean rival by a razor-thin 0.05 second to capture the men’s 100-meter backstroke S14 title and deliver the Philippines’ second gold medal in two days.
The 21-year-old pride of Victorias City, Negros Occidental, clocked one minute and 1.56 seconds in Tuesday’s final at the Rainbow Pool of the Nagoya City General Gymnasium, narrowly defeating South Korea’s Kang Sungho, who touched the wall in 1:01.61.
Thailand’s Natirat Meeprom, who had topped the morning qualifying heats, settled for bronze with a time of 1:02.08.
Alegarbes, who has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, entered the championship race as the second-fastest qualifier but rose to the occasion when it mattered most, producing a gold-medal performance in one of the closest finishes of the competition.
His victory underscored the Philippines’ strong showing in swimming and extended the country’s golden run after Ernie Gawilan ruled the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 event on Monday.
The Filipino swimmers also contributed a bronze medal through Raemond Adefuin in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke SB6, bringing the country’s medal tally to two golds and one bronze.
Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo hailed the back-to-back gold-medal victories, expressing optimism that the swimmers’ achievements would inspire other Filipino athletes competing in the continental meet.
“Well, again, it inspires and motivates the others to do the same, di ba?” Barredo said, describing the gold medalists as showing their teammates the “pathway to gold.”
“And I’m sure others, maybe in track and field tomorrow and the other events that we still have, will see that they have been successful and they will try for it themselves. They will follow that pathway to gold.”
Despite Alegarbes’ golden performance, the Philippines remained in 14th place in the overall medal standings.
Meanwhile, the Filipino archers suffered a string of heartbreaking defeats at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square.
Marzel Burgos fell to China’s Ai Xinliang, 147-142, in the men’s compound elimination round, while Augustina Bantiloc absorbed a 147-135 defeat against China’s Zhao Jing in the women’s compound competition.
Jannah Kate Ballesta also narrowly missed advancing after losing to South Korea’s Kim Okgeum, 6-5.
Burgos and Bantiloc later teamed up in the mixed compound event but suffered another agonizing setback, bowing to Chinese Taipei’s Lee Yun Hsien and Yang Jyun Kai by a single point, 148-147.
The Philippine track cycling contingent likewise struggled at the Izu Velodrome, where Nikko Peralta and Patrick Lee failed to advance beyond the qualifying stage of the 4,000-meter individual pursuit.
Peralta registered 5:14.411 in the C4 category, while Lee finished in 5:09.605 in the C5 division. Both times fell short of the qualifying marks needed to progress to the next round.
With two gold medals already secured, the Philippine delegation hopes to sustain its momentum as more Filipino athletes pursue podium finishes in the remaining events of the Asian Para Games./PN
