Pinoys eye 9 Paralympics berths

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Sports for the Differently Abled-NPC Philippines seeks to qualify at least nine athletes to the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil.

So far, four Pinoy bets have practically booked a trip to Rio – Ernie Gawilan in swimming, Andy Avellana and Jerrold Mangliwan in athletics and Josephine Medina in table tennis – and around 16 more knocking on the door with stints in qualifying meets in the coming months.

“Last time in London, we had nine athletes in four sports. We’re hoping to send at least the same number of athletes to Rio in hopefully five sports,” Philspada-NPC executive director Dennis Esta told The STAR yesterday.

Gawilan (400-meter and 100-meter freestyle men’s S8), Avellana (high jump men’s F42/44) and Mangliwan (T52 wheelchair racing) met the qualifying standard in their respective events during the 2015 Asean Para Games in Singapore last month while Medina, fourth placer individual C8 event in the London Games, has maintained accumulated enough points to virtually secure a return trip to the Paralympics.

“There’s no formal confirmation yet but we were told they have already qualified,” said Esta.

Powerlifter Adeline Ancheta, bronze medalist in Sydney, is gunning for another Paralympics stint when she competes in the Powerlifting World Cup next month in Kuala Lumpur along with fellow London veterans Achele Guion and Agustin Ditan.

“According to the IPC Powerlifting, Adeline has a strong chance of qualifying in the +86 kg category; she just needs to perform in Kuala Lumpur,” said Esta.

Eight bets in athletics will shoot for Rio berths in a qualifying tourney in China in April while four or five swimmers will seek the same in Europe in May. Esta reported that the Philspada will also request for a wild card berth for Arthus Bucay in cycling. Bucay won a bronze in the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon.

“Hopefully more athletes will qualify (in athletics, swimming and powerlifting) and then we’ll get a wild card in cycling so that we’ll be participating in five sports in Rio,” Esta said.