A overview shows (From L) The Philipines’ Angel Mae Otom, China’s Shenggao He and Turkey’s Sumeyye Boyaci competing in a heat of the Women’s 50m Backstroke S5 swimming event during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games at the Paris La Defence Arena, in Nanterre, west of Paris, on September 3, 2024. (Photo by FranÁois-Xavier MARIT / AFP)
PARIS—Angel Mae Otom isn’t looking far ahead despite her world ranking.
She’ll work her way through the heats first before thinking of a medal.
“I won’t hold back in the heats. It will prepare me for a great performance in the final,” said Otom in Filipino, priming up for her last event in the 17th Paralympic Games on Friday.
Otom is a medal favorite in her next event, the women’s 50-meter butterfly S5, where she is the world No. 2. The classification is for swimmers with moderately affected coordination, highly affected movement in the mid-trunk and legs or the absence of limbs.
Otom, the armless wonder from Olongapo City, isn’t worrying yet about defending champion and world record holder Lu Dong of China. They compete side by side in the heats at 10:10 a.m. here.
“Our strategy is simple. Give your best (in the heats) and make it to the finals,’’ said national para swim coach Tony Ong.
Second-best in the world with a clocking of 46.39 seconds, Otom will heed Ong’s call while applying the lessons learned in her earlier race.
The 21-year-old quadruple gold medalist in the Asean Para Games last year seemed headed to clinching a bronze medal in the 50-m backstroke before an amazed crowd at La Defense Arena, the biggest indoor stadium in Europe.
Otom decelerated in the last 15 m, and finished sixth.
“Definitely, a missed opportunity for me,” she said.