Severino, Bejino lead Phl charge in Para Games

MANILA, Philippines — Sander Severino spearheaded his team to early victories in chess while Gary Bejino and Edwin Villanueva both made it to the finals in their respective events in swimming as the Philippines continued its golden pursuit in the Hangzhou Asian Para Games yesterday.

Severino, the country’s most bemedalled bet in the last staging of this quadrennial event in Jakarta in 2018 with four gold medals, set in motion his bid for a repeat as he waylaid Mongolian Sundui Sonom.

Henry Lopez, Japer Rom, Cheyzer Mendoza, Cheryl Angot and Jean Leep-Nacita likewise hurdled their respective assignments to bolster the country’s chances for medals.

Bejino, for his part, surged into the men’s 100-meter S6 finals by clocking 12.61 seconds in the morning trials while Villanueva advanced to the 200m individual SM8 finals.

They joined Ernie Gawilan, a triple-mint winner in Jakarta who had already booked a spot in the 200m IM S7.

It made up for early setbacks by Jesebel Tordecilla, who wound up 10th in women’s javelin F56 with a 12.88m, and Muhamimin Ulag, who did not qualify in the 100m breaststroke SB9 after finishing second in his heat in a minute and 24.25 seconds.

“Di pa ako nakapag-warm up tapos nakita ko na lang paglabas sa dugout nandun na yung throwing chair ko. Di na nakapag-init, wala pa ‘yung adrenaline ko, bitin po,” said a dejected Tordecilla, a former ASEAN Para Games gold medalist.

Lopez and Rom won at the expense of Thai Padu Srikpadee and Yoo Khoonme, respectively.