KUALA LUMPUR — Three Filipinos will see action in the 9th ASEAN Para Games powerlifting competition which kicks off on Monday at Hall 3 of the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibit Center (MITEC) in Jalan Duta here.
Paralympian Achelle Guion and 2015 ASEAN Para Games bronze winner Marydol Pamati-an are entered in the women’s 41kg category, while Romeo Tayawa will compete in the men’s 49kg category.
Guion competed in the 45kg event in both the London Games and the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Guion captured the silver medal in Incheon but failed to win a medal in the 2015 ASEAN Para Games in Singapore.
The other members of the powerlifting team are Paralympians Adeline Dumapong and Agustin Kitan. Dumapong won the country’s first medal in the Paralympics when she got the bronze in Sydney 17 years ago. Kitan, on the other hand, is a veteran of the 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio) Paralympic Games.
Malaysia was overall champion when it hosted the inaugural staging of the ASEAN Para Games in 2001, winning 135 golds, 79 silvers and 87 bronzes.
Two years ago in Singapore, Malaysia finished third with 52 golds, 58 silvers and 37 bronzes.
Thailand has won the overall title six times, getting most of the medals from athletics, swimming, boccia, and powerlifting. (Jean Malanum/PNA)
