Para swim ace prepares for Tokyo at sea

Champion swimmer Ernie Gawilan rarely sees pool time these days, much less take a cool dip in it.

This prompted the triple-gold medalist of the Asian Para Games to swim off the coast of Samal island instead as the Tokyo Paralympics approaches.

“I do my training at sea. This pandemic has really affected the way I train because I can’t go to the pool,’’ Gawilan told the Inquirer in Filipino.

Gawilan, so far the lone Filipino qualifier to the Paralympics on Aug. 24-Sept. 5, said the last time he went to an Olympic pool for a swim was on Nov. 17.There were rare times though, that the seven-time Asean Para Games gold medalist was able to perform his swim strokes in a 10-meter pool with the help of kind-hearted souls at the Island Ridge Resort in Samal.

“I’m still far from 100 percent in terms of conditioning. It’s different when you train at sea because it’s hard to measure the distance,’’ said Gawilan, who won the 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley in the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia. Apart from his regular practice in undulating salt water, Gawilan is being monitored by his coach via Zoom on his daily land training.

Gawilan is the first Filipino to win gold medals in the Asian Para Games, a feat he dreams of accomplishing in the Paralympics.

He also won a pair of silvers in the 100m and 50m freestyle in 2018 Jakarta after bringing home three bronze medals from 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon, South Korea. “I wish I could train regularly in an Olympic-size pool soon, so I can measure and improve my clockings,’’ said the 29-year-old from Davao City, who has been physically challenged after being born with underdeveloped extremities. With pool resorts in his area gradually opening up, Gawilan’s wish might be granted soon. INQ