Metro Manila, Philippines — Filipino para swimmer Ernie Gawilan secured a spot in the final of the men’s 400m freestyle S7 after topping Heat 2 on Monday in the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
The 33-year-old, born without legs and with an underdeveloped left limb, clocked in an official time of 5:00.13.
His time was the third fastest overall in all the heats.
Andrii Trusov of Ukraine came in second (5:16.03), while Argentina’s Iñaki Basiloff finished in third (5:17.33).
Gawilan, who is eyeing his first Paralympic medal, captured the men’ s 400m freestyle S7 gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.
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