Asusano 4th in Paralympic archery, resets personal record

MANILA – Cendy Asusano achieved a personal goal despite failing to medal in the women's javelin throw F54 as the Philippine campaign at the Paris Paralympic Games ended Saturday with finals appearances by four of six athletes.

Asusano registered a personal best of 15.05 meters on her first try to place fourth overall at Stade de France, according to the media pool report.

"My target was to surpass my personal best. I am proud for what I did," Asusano, a first-timer at the Paralympics, said.

She stayed No. 4 in the para world rankings.

The wheelchair-bound Asusano from Donsol, Sorsogon reset her previous best of 14.63m when she finished fourth at the World Para Championships in Kobe, Japan in May.

World champion Nurkhon Kurbanova of Uzbekistan topped the event in 21.12m, erasing her own world record of 20.73.

Flora Ugwunwa of Nigeria settled for silver with 19.26m, improving the 20.25m Paralympic record she set in winning the gold medal in 2021 Tokyo.

The bronze medal went to Elham Salehi of Iran (16.24m).

Asusano qualified for the Paralympics after placing fourth (14.23m) at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.

Swimmer Angel Mae Otom made the finals of her two events – placing fifth in the women's 50-meter butterfly S5 event with a personal-best of 45.78 seconds, and sixth in the 50m backstroke S5 with a time of 44s; wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan was eighth and last in the men's 400-meter T52 finals at Stade de France; archer Agustina Bantiloc lost to Brazil's Jane Karla Gogel, 143-127 (25-29, 28-29, 24-29, 27-29, 23-27), in the opening knockout round of the women's individual compound event at Les Invalides shooting; swimmer Ernie Gawilan ranked sixth in the 400m freestyle S7 finals but failed to reach the 200m individual medley SM7 final; and taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin lost to Azerbaijan's Abulfaz Abuzarli, 9-12, in the men's K44 -80kg round of 16 at Grand Palais.

Otom will be the flag-bearer at the closing ceremony at Stade de France early Sunday (PH time).

"The performance of our athletes are exceptional with four finals appearances. The local organizing committee's goal of sustainability was achieved and that's one thing important with the Paralympic movement,'' Team Philippines chef de mission Ral Rosario said in a statement. (PNA)