Ganapin guns for Paralympic glory

PARIS, France — Wiser and more mature after earlier disappointments in previous international play, para taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin aims to take it one match at a time that will, hopefully, lead to golden finish in the 17th Paris Paralympic Games here.

The soft-spoken Ganapin said he is now prepared and ready for action as he takes a more relaxed attitude compared to last year when his temper flared in the 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.

“I’ve been preparing for this so I’m taking it one match at a time. I’m taking my competition with a much more relaxed attitude, Ganapin, who was sidelined by Covid-19 when he was about to make his Paralympic Games debut in Tokyo three years ago.

Then in the Asian Para Games last year, the 26-year-old Marikina native was penalized for hitting his opponent in the head in the first round of the men’s 80-kilogram division, resulting in his early disqualification.

Through all these setbacks, Ganapin had not lost his desire to compete for flag and country and qualified for a second straight Paralympic stint after beating Indian Sandeep Singh in the Asian Taekwondo Olympic and Paralympic qualification meet in Taiyang, China last March.

He will be among the 12 entries who will be vying in the men’s 80-kilogram weight class on Saturday at the Grand Palais where the Olympic taekwondo competition was also staged just a few weeks ago.

“We will take it one match at a time but we are prepared to compete in four matches (until the finals) if needed,” noted coach Gershon Bautista, who was also the one-armed jin’s mentor in his dismal outing in Hangzhou.

Bautista added that should the draw favor his prized ward “then we could reach the finals in just two bouts and battle for the gold.”

The coach is not alone here training Ganapin but with fellow para taekwondo coach August dela Cruz, who was supposed to call the shots for the athlete in the Tokyo Paralympic Games, coming along as a sparring partner in the stint backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Ganapin said his sad experiences had given him the proper perspective in dealing with the pressures of being the country’s first para taekwondo jin in the sport that is also marking its second appearance as a medal discipline in the quadrennial meet for the best physically-challenged athletes in the world.

“With the difficulties I’ve encountered in preparing for my second Paralympic Games, I’m hoping and praying to bring glory to the country and my countrymen,” he said.

“This is also a chance for taekwondo jins like me to get noticed,” he said.

Undoubtedly, like the rest of the five other Paralympians here, the fans back home will fervently pray for him to end an eight-year medal dry spell for the Philippines since the late table tennis player Josephine Medina won a bronze medal in the 2016 edition held in Rio de Janeiro.