Hangzhou—Paralympian Jerrold Pete Mangliwan on Friday ruled the men’s 400 meter – T52 wheelchair race after a down-the-wire battle to the finish worthy of multiple slow-mo replays, handing Team Philippines its fifth gold medal in the 4th Asian Para Games here.
Trailing for the most part of the race, Mangliwan poured it all in the final 30 meters to turn back pacesetter Hirokazu Ueyonabaru, the 2020 Paralympics’ bronze medalist and complete the come-from-behind win at the Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium
Mangliwan topped the race with a personal best time of 1 minute and 01.54 seconds for the medal that slew the ghost of his disappointment in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, where he was disqualified for lane infringement.
The Kalinga Apayao pride was brimming with confidence going into the race, claiming he’s more comfortable in the middle-distance event than in sprint races, including the 100m category, where he bagged a silver medal on Tuesday.
“Basta ibibigay ko ‘yung best ko kasi chance ko na ‘to. Sabi ko nga ang chance, hindi ‘yan binibigay ng basta-basta. Kumbaga, chance of a lifetime ito. (I promised to give my best. Chances don’t come often, and this is a chance of a lifetime),” said Mangliwan.
“Wala akong masabi. Nakuha din sa hirap na ginagawa natin. Humingi ako ng medal kay Lord, gold pa ang binigay. (I’m speechless. Finally got it with hard work. I asked God for a medal, and He gave me gold).” said Mangliwan in gaining his first gold after three previous unsuccessful tries in the Asian Para Games.
“Very privileged and blessed lang. Hanggang ngayon nagbo-blossom ‘yung dedication ko, kasi palagi ‘yan and regardless kung anuman tayo, darating ang panahon na makukuha din. (I’m very privileged and blessed. My dedication has blossomed and I knew my time would come.),” said the 44-year-old Mangliwan, who only placed fourth in the Jakarta edition in 2016.
Hirokazu was just a fraction of a second behind at 1:01.79 for the silver medal, while another Japanese, Tatsuya, took the bronze with 1:04.96 clocking.