SEPANG, Malaysia – Airfare would no longer be one of Josephine Medina’s concerns, at least for the next three years.
Winning bronze in the 2016 Rio Paralympics, the 46-year-old table tennis player will enjoy three years of free trips as one of the 2016 ASEAN Heroes.
“Napakalaking tulong nito, lalo na sa mga international competitions na sinasalihan ko,” said Medina, a polio victim.
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READ: Medina proves worth with her Rio bronze
Medina was one of the 31 para-athletes who were given recognition by AirAsia in its ASEAN Heroes Gifting Ceremony at Asian Aviation Centre of Excellence Tuesday here at Sepang, Selangor in Malaysia.
Medina, who won bronze in the women’s table tennis singles – class 8, was one of the eight who were able to make the event. She even came from Pattaya, Thailand after her gold medal victory in the 2016 Thailand Para Open.
Silver medalists, meanwhile, will have access to free trips for five years, while the gold medalists will enjoy a lifetime of free trips from AirAsia.
READ: Medina wins gold in Thailand Para Open
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes is happy to see these differently-abled athletes represent the Southeast Asian region in the Games, saying, “The Paralympics landed the ASEAN in the world map.”
Six world records were set by the athletes in the Games, something which Fernandes said should be a source of pride for the region.
“We showed that we could be the best in the world. There’s no reason for ASEAN not to emulate you
Paralympians,” he said. “Thank you for making 700 million people in ASEAN believe that they could be the best in the world because you showed you could be the best in the world.”