Para athletes Jeanette Aceveda, Jerrold Mangliwan to dedicate Tokyo Paralympics stint to family

Para athletics delegates from the Philippines Jeanette Aceveda and Jerrold Mangliwan vowed to give their best and dedicate their performance to their families as they enter the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics stage.

Aceveda, a discus thrower, said her family knows her passion for the sport.

"Alam naman nilang mahal ko 'tong ginagawa ko kaya sinusuportahan din nila ako," she said in JM Encinas' Stand for Truth report.

[They know that I love what I do, that is why they support me.]

The athlete, who is diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition which involves breakdown and loss of cells in the retina, also considers her Olympic sint as a big blessing and said she had already won whatever the outcome of her competition may be.

"Milestone ito para sa akin dahil ito talaga ang ultimate dream ng mga atleta, ang makapasok sa Olympics. Ito na 'yung pinakamataas na level of competition kaya sobrang saya ko," she said.

[This is a milestone for me because it is the ultimate dream of an athlete to be in the Olympics. This is the highest level of competition and I am so happy.]

"Manalo, matalo, panalo pa rin ang pakiramdam ko kasi the fact na nag-qualify ka, maging isa ka sa magko-compete dun, honor 'yun para sa akin."

[Win or lose, I still feel like a winner since the fact that you qualified and you will compete, it's already a big honor for me.]

For Aceveda, it is in the Paralympics where she found her value.

"Hindi ko makikita ang worth ko kung hindi ko nakita itong Paralympics. Kasi kung nandoon ka, makikita mo 'yung kapansanan ng iba, mararamdaman mong blessed ka," she said.

[I wouldn't have seen my worth if I did not see the Paralympics. If you're there, you'll see others' disabilities and you will feel blessed.]

Meanwhile, wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan said family is his inspiration for competing in the Tokyo 2020 Para Games.

"[This is] for my family na always supporting sa akin. Talagang inaalagaan ako para lang maging fit pa rin," Mangliwan said.

[This is for my family who always supports me. They take care of me and help me stay fit.]

The 41-year old para athlete, who had paraplegia, a complication of polio, since he was 2 years old, said his goal in the Paralympics is to surpass his performance in the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

"Pinaka-goal ko talaga is mahigitan 'yung experience ko sa Rio Paralympics, kumbaga fulfillment na 'yun," he said.

[My goal is to surpass my experience in the Rio Paralympics, that for me will be a fulfillment.]

Mangliwan will start his Tokyo campaign on Friday in the men's 400-meter T52, while Aceveda will play on August 31.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA News