Ariel Joseph Alegarbes delivered another gold-medal finish for the Philippines, ruling the men’s 100-meter backstroke S14 at the 5th Asian Para Games on Tuesday at the Rainbow Pool of the Nagoya City General Gymnasium in Japan.
The 21-year-old swimmer from Victorias City, Negros Occidental, clocked one minute and 1.56 seconds to claim the title, narrowly beating South Korea’s Kang Sungho, who settled for silver with 1:01.61.
Thailand’s Natirat Meeprom, the fastest qualifier in the morning heats, completed the podium with a time of 1:02.08.
Alegarbes, who has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, entered the final with the second-best qualifying time before producing the winning performance.
His triumph gave the Philippine delegation its second gold medal in the competition, following Ernie Gawilan’s victory in the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 on Monday.
The country’s medal haul also included a bronze from Raemond Adefuin in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke SB6.
Philippine Paralympic Committee President Mike Barredo welcomed the swimmers’ achievements, saying their success could encourage other Filipino competitors to aim for podium finishes.
“Well, again, it inspires and motivates the others to do the same, hindi ba?” Barredo said, describing the gold medalists as showing their teammates the “pathway to gold.”
“And I’m sure others, maybe in track and field tomorrow and the other events that we still have, will see that they have been successful and they will try for it themselves. They will follow that pathway to gold.”
Chef de mission Francis Diaz also praised Alegarbes for adding another gold to the country’s campaign.
“Pugay, Arjay Alegarbes, para sa ikalawang ginto ng Pilipinas sa 5th Asian Para Games. We are very proud of your achievement,” Diaz said.
The Philippines remained 14th in the overall medal standings following the latest swimming victory. (Adrian Co)
