Hilario scoops up 3 swimming golds in Philippine Para Games

MANILA, Philippines — Aklan tanker Carl Hilario stole the spotlight from the big guns by becoming the first triple gold winner of the Philippine Para Games at the Rizal Memorial Aquatics Center Tuesday.

Hilario topped the men’s 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly S14 events by clocking two minutes and 31.80 seconds and 1:21.31, respectively, to add to his golden swim in the 100m freestyle event the day before.

Hilario’s effort in this event that is being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission should bolster his chances of making the national team pool.

“Happy, first time,” said Hilario.

“Sinubukan lang namin sumali, swerte naman nakapanalo tatlo gold,” said Hilario’s coach Allan Gomez.

In chess, Kenneth Namisato pulled off the biggest upset thus far by ruling the men’s individual rapid for B1 class or the visually impaired where he scored 4.5 points in five rounds.

He finished half a point ahead of national team mainstay Cecilio Bilog, who ended up tied with Romeo de Luna with four point apiece but the former took the silver and the latter the bronze due to a higher tiebreaker.

There were some minor shockwaves in the B2 class where Allan Salientes snatched the silver behind ASEAN and Asian Para Games gold winner Darry Bernardo, who topped the event, and ahead of another national team stalwart Arman Subaste, who took the bronze, in the men’s B2.