Ben Madilynn
PARIS — Para swimmer Angel Mae Otom’s Paralympic Games debut got off to a promising start Tuesday morning (Tuesday afternoon in Manila), clocking 44.03 seconds to finish in seventh place and advance to the finals of the women’s 50-meter backstroke S7 event at the La Defense pool here.
Smiling from the moment she plunged into action and emerged from the pool, Otom, 21, finished fourth in the first heat behind China’s He Shenggao (41.31) and Liu Yu (42.59), who were 1-2, respectively, while Turkey’s Summeye Boyaci (44.84) was third.
Chinese defending champion and top favorite Liu Dong led all the eight qualifiers in timing 39.48 seconds, ahead of compatriots No. 2 He and No.3 Liu, in the finals set at 6:34 p.m. (12:34 a.m. of Wednesday, Manila time)
Although slightly nervous, Otom relished being in the Paralympic spotlight for the first time, saying: “Kinakabahan din po, pero overall masaya din. Maganda yung experience. Sobrang proud na nakapunta ako dito.”
Asked how to describe in a word how she felt, the swimmer, flashing her sparkling smile, exclaimed: “Fantastic!”
Assistant para-swimming coach Brian Ong mentioned that the swimmer held back during the heats, explaining that they were focused on securing Angel’s spot in the finals, where they are aiming for a stronger performance.
“To think that this is Angel’s first Paralympics, magandang experience ito para sa kanya (this is a good experience for her). We will use the time to mentally prepare her so she can go all out and do better in the finals.,” he said.
The armless Olongapo City pride, who won four golds in the 2023 Cambodia ASEAN Para Games, received encouragement from compatriot Ernie Gawilan’s sixth-place finish in the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 finals the previous day. PR
