Mangliwan pins hope on event that’s not his favorite

Philippine athlete Jerrold Pete Mangliwan competes in the men’s T52 400m athletics event at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris on August 30, 2024, during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

PARIS—Jerrold Mangliwan watched as his medal chances in the 400-meter t52 wheelchair race was slowly getting washed away by the rains.

Stymied by the wet track, Mangliwan will make his Stade de France return hoping to make his mark in an event that isn’t necessarily his specialty.

“I’m not the type who makes excuses. I missed being at the podium in that race, so I will give every ounce of energy that I have in my final race,” Mangliwan said in Filipino.

The first objective is to reach the final of the 100-m T52 event on Thursday night here. The final is scheduled later in the evening.

“The 100 m isn’t my forte, so the basic target is to get to the final,” said Mangliwan, who is coached by Joel Deriada and Bernard Buen.

The 44-year-old from Tabuk, Kalinga, has improved in the 100 m since registering a personal best of 18.65 seconds for the silver medal during last year’s Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.

It was far better when Mangliwan placed eighth in the final of the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics with a time of 20.08 seconds.

“We realized that Jerrold is the underdog in this event. We will think of our game plan for the final as soon as he qualifies,’’ said Deriada. “We should also be prepared in case it rains again.’’