Former Philippine national para lifter Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta admitted being recognized in the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame came as a complete surprise — but one she now embraces as a symbol of progress far beyond her personal journey.

Dumapong-Ancheta told DAILY TRIBUNE said she never would have imagined to be part of this distinguished group because for the most part of her career, para sports were usually seen as part of the rehabilitation process for people with disability.

The 52-year-old joins the latest batch for the Hall of Fame that includes Ramon Fernandez of basketball, Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco of boxing, Eduardo Pacheco of basketball and football, Beatriz Lucero-Lhuillier of gymnastics and taekwondo, Cecil Mamiit of tennis, and Isidro del Prado of athletics and will be feted as early as 20 May.

“When I was starting, people didn’t really see para-sports as a competitive sport. It was more like rehab or welfare,” said Dumapong-Ancheta, who now serves as part of the coaching staff of the national para powerlifting team.

“But now, you can see the change. It’s really part of development already.”

Dumapong-Ancheta won multiple medals in her career and is considered one of the pioneers in Philippine para sports.

In the women’s 85-kilogram category, she won six ASEAN Para Games gold medals and also conquered the 1999 Asian Benchpress Championships in Manila, the 2000 Malaysian Paralympiad in Kuala Lumpur, the 2007 Asian Powerlifting Open Championship in Manila and 2009 World Abilitysport Games mint in India.

But her biggest achievement remains her bronze medal in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics in the women’s 82.5kg category, one of the only two medals won by the country.

The other medalist was Josephine Medina of table tennis after clinching the bronze in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.

As the first para athlete to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Dumapong-Ancheta believes her inclusion will open the gates to her colleagues to be enshrined in the future.

Paralympians such as Ernie Gawilan and Angel Otom of swimming and Achelle Guion could follow suit in the future once they retire from competing.

“I have a lot of responsibilities. But I owe so much to para-sports and the movement, so I continue to give back in any way I can,” Dumapong-Ancheta said.

“This is a huge step toward inclusion. This is not just about me — it’s really about inclusion of persons with disabilities.”