Already with two golds in the 2018 Asian Para Games, Ernie Gawilan made sure to leave a mark – then picked up a hattrick.
Gawilan, who will forever be known as the first-ever Filipino to pocket gold in the continental meet, broke the Asiad record in the Men’s 400M Freestyle S7 and brought home gold later on.
The 27-year-old Paralympian started the day with a blistering performance at the GBK Aquatics Centre, finishing with a time of 04:56.98 in the qualifiers. It was a full 13 seconds and 20 milli-seconds faster than the previous record.
It did not take long for the record to stand as the Davaoeno destroyed his own record in the Finals, clocking in at 04:51.00 – five seconds and 98 milli-seconds faster his initial swim.
This is his third gold of the meet, winning gold in the Men’s 200M Individual Medley SM7 and the Men’s 100M Backstroke S7.
With this, the Philippines ends its campaign in 11th place with a tally of 10 golds, 8 silvers, and 11 bronzes.
