Ernie Gawilan showcased his prowess as one of Asia’s top para swimmers at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, securing a spot in the medal round for the men’s 400m freestyle S7. Competing at the Paris La Defense Arena, Gawilan clocked in at five minutes and 0.13 seconds, placing first in his heat and third overall in the preliminary rounds.
From the start, Gawilan dominated the race, reaching the first 50-meter mark in just 35.47 seconds and completing the first half in two minutes and 28.85 seconds. He maintained his lead throughout, finishing the race 15.90 seconds ahead of his closest competitors.
The top performer in the heats was Evan Austin of the USA with a time of 4:56.54, followed closely by Aleksei Ganiuk of the Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) at 4:56.68. The top eight swimmers from the nine-man field advanced to the finals.
Gawilan previously won gold in the same event at the 2023 Asian Para Games and made history in 2018 as the first Filipino para athlete to win a gold medal in the Asian Para Games in the men’s 200m individual medley SM7. However, in his first event in Paris, the 200m individual medley, Gawilan finished last in both his heat and overall standings.