STARTING STRONG in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Filipino racer Jerrold Mangliwan secured a finals slot in the Men’s 400m wheelchair racing T52 event after placing seventh overall in the race. The 2018 Asian Para Games bronze medalist punched in a time of 1:03.41 in the event held at the Olympic Stadium.

Despite finishing fourth in Heat 1, Mangliwan was the fastest racer aside from the top three athletes in the event’s two heats—qualifying him for the medal race. The Filipino Paralympian entered the finals in seventh place, while Japan’s Tomoki Sato was in first place, the USA’s Raymond Martin in second place, and the USA’s Gianfranco Iannotta in third place.

Finals bid

In the finals of the Men’s 400m wheelchair racing T52 event, Mangliwan fell short of a podium finish after he concluded the race in fifth place. Notably, however, Mangliwan’s performance in the finals featured a personal best time of 1:00.80. The Filipino Paralympian missed the bronze medal by less than a second, with the finals’ third best time at 59.95. However, Mangliwan’s results were invalidated after the event’s officials disqualified the 41-year-old from the race due to lane infringement. Taking the top spots were Japan’s Sato in first place with a time of 55.39, the USA’s Martin in second place at 55.59, and Japan’s Hirokazu Ueyonabaru in third place at 59.95.

Mangliwan has another chance to notch a medal when he competes in the Men’s 1500m wheelchair racing T52 event on Sunday, August 29, at 7:40 PM Manila time.