By MARK REY MONTEJO
Paralympian Angel Otom dominated the women’s 50m backstroke event to deliver the country’s lone gold in the 2026 World Para Swimming Series in Fuji-Shizuoka, Japan recently.
The 22-year-old Otom clocked 47.89 seconds in her pet event to beat Spaniard Teresa Perlas (1:13.51) and Thai Plaifa Thongrueang (1:27.55) for the gold.
Otom, a University of the Philippines standout, earned 812 points in the said category.
Apart from her victory in backstroke, Otom, who hopes to see action in the Los Angeles Games in 2028, bagged the bronze in the women’s 50m butterfly after posting 46.52 seconds.
Colombian Sara Vargas Blanco topped the event in 35.53sec while Japanese An Nishida wound up third (37.38sec).
It was a stellar follow up for Otom who plucked five golds and one silver in the 13th ASEAN Para Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand earlier this year.
Meanwhile in the youth 50m butterfly, debutant Raemond Adefiuin also won bronze after logging in 34.31 seconds – his new personal best in the said event.
The World Para Swimming Series is a nine-leg meet where top para swimmers across the globe participate. It kicked off last February in Australia and it concludes this year’s edition in Abu Dhabi, the UAE in November.
