DAVAO CITY---Davaoeno paralympic swimming star Ernie Gawilan won a gold medal on the first day of competition in the 11th ASEAN Para Games in Solo, Indonesia, on August 1.
Gawilan won the gold in the 400m Freestyle S7 event at the start of the swimming competition, the biggest sporting event for people with disabilities in Southeast Asia.
Gawilan, who was born with no legs and an incomplete arm due to an attempted abortion and poor prenatal healthcare, is happy and proud of his gold medal performance.
"Thank you, I already contributed to #TeamPhilippines. Thank you," Gawilan said in a Facebook post.
The win is a huge morale boost for Gawilan, who failed to win a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games last year in Tokyo, Japan.
Gawilan is considered the biggest star of the Philippine team in swimming and is expected to win more medals in the competition. (Romeo Braceros, Jr.)
Photo: PinoySwimming dot Com
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