Angel Otom wins fourth gold in ASEAN Para Games; para athletics team adds to gold haul

Angel Otom won her fourth gold medal in the ASEAN Para Games, while the para athletics team added more gold medals to the country’s haul on Friday in Thailand.

Otom ruled the women’s 200m freestyle S5 after clocking 3:44.49, beating entries from Thailand and Vietnam in the finals.

Meanwhile, Jesebel Tordecilla captured gold in the women’s javelin F55, while wheelchair racer Rodrigo Podiotan Jr. set a new Games record to win the men’s 100m T52 gold. Podiotan clocked 18.26 seconds, while compatriot Cleford Trocino finished second with 18.55 seconds.

Joshua Santos, meanwhile, ruled the long jump T46 event after recording 5.99 meters, while Arvie John Arreglado topped the men’s long jump T47 event with a distance of 6.36 meters.

The Philippine chess team, meanwhile, collected four gold medals, with Darry Bernardo ruling the men’s individual standard B2/3 and Sander Severino winning the men’s individual standard PI. The team also topped their respective team events.

As of writing, the Philippines has tallied 26 gold medals, 22 silver medals, and 27 bronze medals in the biennial meet.

S5 events are for para swimmers with physical impairments, while F55 events are for seated throwers with limb deficiency. T52, meanwhile, is for wheelchair racing para athletes with limb deficiency.

T46 events are part of jumping and running competitions for athletes with upper limb deficiency.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News