Veteran para swimmer Ernie Gawilan has secured his place at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games after delivering the Philippines’ first gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, according to national para swimming coach Tony Ong.
The 35-year-old Davao City native clocked four minutes and 56.72 seconds to rule the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 final at the Rainbow Pool of the Nagoya City General Gymnasium on Monday.
“He’s already qualified in the 2028 LA Olympics because of his time,” Ong said.
Gawilan faced a tough challenge from China’s Zhang Yilong, who settled for silver in 5:01.36, and Singapore’s Toh Wei Soong, who claimed bronze in 5:24.23.
Gawilan admitted that the race was particularly demanding, knowing his rivals had the conditioning to keep up with him. He said he pushed himself through the final stretch and closed his eyes during the last 10 meters after seeing his opponent fall behind.
“Kasi alam ko rin na kondisyon iyung kalaban ko, eh, kaya habulan kami,” Gawilan said.
“Kaya pumikit na ako noong last 10 meters kasi nakita ko siya na medyo malayo na, kaya pinikit ko na,” he added.
Asked if it was his toughest race, Gawilan acknowledged how challenging it had been, saying he believed his opponent had been conserving energy but eventually wore down from matching his pace.
“Ito iyung parang ano, alam ko nagre-reserve siya. Naubos lang talaga siya kaka-pacing sa akin,” he said.
The gold marked Gawilan’s third consecutive Asian Para Games title in the event, following his victories in Jakarta in 2018 and Hangzhou in 2023. It was also his fifth gold medal overall in the continental competition.
With Los Angeles 2028 now in focus, the veteran swimmer said he aims to train harder and improve his time further. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
