Davao City’s Paralympian Ernie Gawilan delivered his second gold medal for the Philippines, breaking a record in the men’s 200-meter freestyle S7 at the 13th ASEAN Para Games in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Gawilan finished in two minutes, 26.08 seconds, defeating Thailand’s Sittichaiphonniti Kaweewat, who clocked 2:45.35. Both swimmers erased the previous record of 2:52.
"Happy kaayo ko, Ma'am (I'm very happy)," the 34-year-old Gawilan said in a Messenger interview with SunStar Davao, his joy clear in his voice. "Naambagan ko'g bwenas! Nakaduha nako ka gold after two days diri (I got lucky! I won two golds after just two days here).
He claimed his first gold in the 400m freestyle S7 on Wednesday, January 21, posting a time of 5:02.39. He outpaced Singapore’s Toh Wei Soong (5:22.87) and Thailand’s Kaweewat (6:07.92).
Gawilan described his 200m freestyle victory as surreal.
"First time ra nako ni gidula ang 200m freestyle. Depende man gud sa host unsa'y apilon nga events. Wala gyud damha nga makuha nako ang gold ug ma break nako ang record nga karon ra ko midula gyud ani (This was my first time competing in the 200m freestyle. It really depends on the host which events are included. I never expected to win the gold or break the record, especially since this was the first time I actually competed in it)."
He credited his success to a year of rigorous training and maintaining good physical condition.
Gawilan is now eyeing his third consecutive gold in the 100m freestyle finals on Friday, January 23.
He credited his feats to the sufficient year-long training and good body condition.
Gawilan is aiming for his third straight gold in the 100m freestyle finals set for Friday, January 23. "Nadula na nako ning 100m freestyle sa una, nagunita ko pa ni pero last time nakuha sa Singaporean ang gold, nag second ra ko. Dili lang ko magsulti pero paningkamutan nako ugma (I’ve competed in the 100m freestyle before, and I still remember it, but last time the gold went to a Singaporean and I came in second. I won’t say much, but I’ll give it my all tomorrow)," he added.
His morale is high after two golds.
"Taas run ang akong morale kay nakaduha nako'g gold. Paningkamutan nako makuha ang lima ka gold sa five events nako
(My morale is high now because I’ve already won two golds. I’ll do my best to win all five golds in my five events)," he said.
He is also competing in the 200m individual medley (IM) and 50m butterfly.
Earlier, Gawilan dedicated his first gold medal to the country and to his soon-to-be-born daughter, Francheska Eliana. MLSA