MANILA, Philippines – Young Filipina para swimming sensation Angel Otom proved her dominance at the Southeast Asian level was no fluke as the Olongapo City standout advanced to the medal round of the women’s 50-meter backstroke S5 in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Otom, born with no left arm and an underdeveloped right arm, finished seventh overall in the heats with a time of 44.03 seconds to make the final cutoff on Tuesday, September 3, Manila time.
“It was a very good experience, I feel very proud,” Otom, a 21-year-old student from UP Diliman, said in Filipino. “I also got nervous as an athlete, but overall, it was fun.”
Finishing fourth in heat 1, Otom will join fellow heat toppers Shenggao He (41.31) and Liu Yu (42.59), both from China, and Turkiye’s Sumeyye Boyacci (43.84) in the final eight on Tuesday night (Wednesday, 12:33 am, Manila time).
World record holder Dong Lu of China expectedly led heat 2 and the overall tally with a sub-40 time (39.48), followed by other finalists Iryna Poida of Ukraine (43.81), Tully Kearney of Great Britain (43.89), and Sevilay Ozturk of Turkiye (45.34).
This marks Otom’s first-ever Paralympic event after copping four gold medals in the 2023 ASEAN Para Games and three more in the prior edition at just 19 years old.
“She’ll definitely go all out in the final. It’s six hours from now, so for now, Angel will rest as we mentally prepare her for the next race,” said national para swimming assistant coach Bryan Ong.
After her 50m backstroke final, Otom will have one more shot at a historic Paralympics swimming medal in the 50m butterfly on Friday, September 6, Manila time. – Rappler.com