Bejino delivers Phl’s 1st para gold

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand — Swimmer Gary Bejino kicked off the country’s campaign on a high note as he clinched its first gold medal in record-breaking fashion in the 13th ASEAN Para Games on Wednesday at the 80th Anniversary Aquatics Center last Wednesday.

The 30-year-old veteran of the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 set a new meet record of five minutes and 32.08 seconds to secure the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter freestyle S6 event and set the tone for the country’s campaign in the prestigious biennial meet for differently able athletes.

He reset his previous record of 5:38.26 that he set in Cambodia in 2023, a fitting birthday gift for his son, Gray, who turned two years old on the first day of competition.

“I am happy to get the gold and have my time be a bit faster,” said Bejino, who started competing for the country in the ASEAN Youth Para Games in 2013.

“It so happened that the first day of the competition coincided with my son’s birthday as well as my coach Bryan Ong and coach Leo Ramos’ birthday yesterday. It added more motivation for me to win.”

A few minutes after Bejino’s impressive win, veteran swimmer Ernie Gawilan followed suit as he clocked 5:02.39 to secure the gold medal in the men’s 400m freestyle S7 event.

The 34-year-old Davao native, Gawilan, said he is dedicating his gold medal to his wife and their incoming daughter, which will be born next month.

“First of all, I dedicate this victory to the country and to my baby who will be born soon,” Gawilan said.

Meanwhile, both the national men’s and women’s 3x3 wheel basketball squads settled for silver medals after losing to hosts Thailand in the final at Hall 1 of Terminal 21 Korat.

The Pilipinas Warriors suffered a 13-20 loss while the Lady Warriors suffered a 5-12 defeat to Thai dribblers.

In powerlifting, Marydol Pamati-an also bagged a silver medal in the women’s 41-kilogram event after tallying a total lift of 77 kilograms while Denesia Esnara secured a bronze medal in the 45-kg event after lifting 73 kgs.