MANILA, Philippines – Three-time Asian Para Games powerlifting silver medalist Achele Guion will make her second Paralympics appearance after she qualified to the Tokyo event slated August 24 to September 5 via bi-partite approval.
“Her (Guion) bi-partite approval just came out tonight (Tuesday). We now have a six-strong delegation,” said Philippine Tokyo Paralympics chef-de-mission Francis Diaz.
The 29-year-old Guion, whose impairment was caused by the effects of polio during childhood, joined swimming’s Ernie Gawilan and Gary Bejino, taekwondo’s Allain Ganapin and track and field’s Jerold Magliwan and Janette Acevedo in the quadrennial event.
It will be the second Paralympics appearance for Guion, who saw action in the 2012 London edition where she placed sixth in the women’s -44-kilogram class.
The Manila-born Guion, who pursued a business management course at the Trinity University of Asia in Quezon City, packs a lot of international experience after having won silver in three straight Asian Para Games — 2010 in Guanzhou, China, 2014 in Incheon, South Korea and 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia — while seeing action in the 2017 World Championships in Mexico.
Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) president Mike Barredo, who thanked the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the supporting the national Para squad, is optimistic there would be more qualifiers.