Gary Bejino ended in 14th place among 16 swimmers, and consequently missed the final of the men’s 50-meter butterfly S6 of the 2020 Paralympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, Monday.
The 25-year-old missed the bus into the medal race after clocking a slightly better 36.14 seconds from his entry time of 36.47. Bejino, likewise, did better from his butterfly leg in his 200-meter individual medley swim of 37.96.
Bejino was one of the last off the blocks, but he tried to recover afterward. He was in fourth after the first half, only others caught up at the finish.
The Games rookie, nonetheless, had fended off Greece’s Panagiotis Christakis from the opposite end in lane 1 for the seventh place finish in the heat.
Colombia’s Nelson Crispin Corzo topped the first heat with 31.66 seconds, but it Wawas China’s Wang Jingang who qualified the fastest with 30.81.
Bejino has two more chances to make a final on his first-ever Games, starting with the heats of the men’s 400-meter freestyle S6 on Thursday, September 2. He competes in heat 1 at 8:00 a.m., Manila time.
