NAGOYA — Overcoming a tough field and a heartbreaking near-miss for the delegation a day prior, King James Reyes delivered the Philippines’ first athletics podium finish by claiming the bronze medal in the men’s 1,500-meter T46 event at the fifth Asian Para Games held at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
The 24-year-old Adamson University Sports Science graduating student, who hails from Loreto, Agusan del Sur, and lost an arm after falling from a tree at age five, clocked an impressive personal-best time of four minutes and 13.81 seconds. The victory successfully saved the country from a medal shutout in athletics.
Sri Lanka’s Wahumpurage Puwakpitikande secured the gold medal with a time of 4:03.25, while India’s Parmod took home the silver at 4:09.65.
An ecstatic Reyes expressed pride in his performance following the race, highlighting the rigorous preparation behind his podium finish.
“Personal best ko po. Alam ko na po sa sarili ko na kayang-kaya ko pong mag-podium. Pinaghandaan po kasi namin, kasama ’yung mga sakripisyo namin.”
Reyes’ breakthrough medal served as a much-needed morale boost following a controversial reversal the previous day that cost teammate Cyril Cloyd Ongcoy a bronze in the men’s 1,500-meter T12/T13 category after a jury reinstated a disqualified Uzbek runner.
Entering the final stretch of the competition, the Philippine contingent—supported by the Philippine Sports Commission—sat 17th overall with a tally of two golds, two silvers, and two bronzes. Other Filipino athletes also gave strong efforts in Nagoya, including Evaristo Carbonel, who set a personal best of 27.18 meters for a fifth-place finish in the men’s discus throw F11, and Edwin Enguito Jr., who cleared 1.63 meters to finish fourth in the men’s high jump T63.
Meanwhile, at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center, wheelchair fencing bets Wilfredo Bugayong II and Violeta Sapalit advanced past the preliminary stages in saber before bowing out in the round of 16.
Bugayong opened with a 15-5 victory over Hong Kong’s Lee Sheung Ho before falling to China’s Cheng Yang (6-15), while Sapalit dropped her round of 16 bout against South Korea’s Kim Yeji (6-15).