Mangliwan vows to keep away from wrong lane

FILE–Jerrold Mangliwan—TEAM PH PHOTO

Jerrold Mangliwan frantically pushed his wheels and unintentionally crossed the adjacent lane, automatically dashing all hopes of landing a medal.

Mangliwan is now driven not to commit a similar lapse in the coming 2024 Paris Paralympics.

“It’s hard to control it when you’re at full speed. I hope I don’t cross to the wrong lane again,’’ said Mangliwan.

The Filipino wheelchair racing ace will battle the world’s best in his third consecutive Paralympics—this time, in the French capital from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.

He will race in the men’s 400-meter T52, three years after committing a lane infringement in the final where he achieved a personal best.

“I’ve been practicing daily to avoid committing that mistake,’’ said Mangliwan, ranked No. 6 in the world in the event.

Podium contenders

But a lot has changed since that inadvertent fault as Mangliwan refined his skills while navigating at full acceleration on the track.

The 44-year-old pride of Tabuk, Kalinga, is the current Asian Para Games champion in the 400 m after beating Japanese Hirokazu Ueyonabaru in Hangzhou, China, last year. Ueyonabaru was the bronze-medal winner during the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.

Mangliwan also brought home a silver medal from the 100-m T52, another event where he could figure prominently in Paris.

“The competition (in the Paralympics) has become stronger, but there’s a chance (for a medal),’’ said Mangliwan.

Podium contenders Raymond Martin of the United States, Japanese Tomoki Sato, Yuki Oya and Ueyonabaru count as his possible foes along with Mexico’s Leonardo de Jesus Perez Juarez.

And then there’s Maxime Carabin of Belgium, a 23-year-old who won a pair of gold medals in the 400-m and 100-m T52 during the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.

Carabin became much bolder in the worlds early this year in Kobe, Japan, where he won golds in the 100 m, 400 m and 1500-m T52 events. INQ