Filipino para swimmer Ernie Gawilan won the Philippines’ first gold at the 2026 Asian Paralympic in Nagoya, Japan, on Oct. 19, claiming the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 title.
The 35-year-old Davao City athlete, born without the lower portions of both legs and with an underdeveloped left arm, clocked 4 minutes and 56.72 seconds. Trailing China’s Zhang Yilong through the first 200 meters, he surged ahead to beat swimmers from China and Singapore.
Raised by his grandfather in Davao’s Marilog District after losing his mother as an infant, Gawilan was nine when businessman Vicente Ferrazzini helped him enter the Our Lady of Victory Training Center, run by the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic.
In 2000, he moved to Samal Island to help maintain another center, where he discovered swimming. Coach Mark Jude Corpuz later helped develop his talent.
Gawilan went on to represent the Philippines at the Paralympics and became the country’s first Asian Para Games gold medalist in 2018. His Nagoya win was his third straight gold in the 400-meter freestyle S7, following Jakarta in 2018 and Hangzhou in 2023, and his fifth gold overall at the Games.
He dedicated the medal to his eight-month-old daughter, Eliana, and wife, Ilonah Jane. He also offered encouragement to the Philippine delegation.
“Sa mga kasama natin, para-athlete din na lalahok at lumalahok na, focus lang. Itong unang medal natin ay para sa atin lahat,” he said.
National para swimming coach Tony Ong said the performance put Gawilan on track for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. He is also eligible for a ₱1 million gold-medal incentive under Republic Act No. 10699.
