Pinay Paralympic swimmer Angel Mae Otom is determined to make the most of her opportunity to reach the final of the women’s 50-meter butterfly S5 event at the 17th Paralympic Games.
The heats will start at 10:10 a.m. (4 p.m. Manila time) on Friday, where she will compete alongside the defending champion, China’s Lu Dong, who is vying for her second individual gold.
Ranked No. 2 in the world with a time of 46.39 seconds, Otom, who hails from Olongapo City, aims to build on her experience from her Paralympic debut two days ago, where she finished sixth in the women’s 50-meter backstroke S5 race.
With Lu Dong in lane 4 and Otom in lane 3, Otom will face a significant challenge keeping up with the Chinese star, known as the “Armless Mermaid.” The top eight qualifiers from the two heats will advance to the finals, scheduled for 5:59 p.m. (11:59 p.m. Manila time).
Deputy Paralympic swimming coach Brian Ong, the head coach’s son, revealed that enhancing Otom’s mental toughness in her final event at Europe’s largest indoor arena would be a key focus of their preparation.
“We are looking forward to her outing in the women’s 50-meter butterfly on Friday,” said the coach, confident that the athlete would go all out in the country’s last-ditch bid to win a medal in this meet featuring the crème de la crème of physically challenged bets from 168 nations.
The late table tennis player Josephine Medina was the last Filipino to achieve a podium finish, securing a bronze medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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