Guion receives huge lift
SURAKARTA, Indonesia — Flag-bearer Achelle “Jinky” Guion got a timely break when her event in the women’s powerlifting competition was reset to two days after the formal opening of the 11th ASEAN Para Games on Saturday at the Manahan Stadium.
“I felt relieved that my event was reset as this will give me another day to rest before competing,” Guion said after learning of the last-minute change in schedule of her event at the Paragon Hotel.
Guion will plunge into action on Monday.
In the original schedule, the 51-year-old pride of Sipalay, Negros Occidental was supposed to compete in the women’s 45-kilogram division on Sunday or just a day after the inaugural rites at the 20,000-capacity arena located in the heart of the Central Java provincial capital.
“I will ask somebody to help me in carrying the flag so I won’t get tired,” she said.
A back-to-back silver medalist in the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta Asian Para Games, Guion, however, declined what medal color she would deliver for the country.
Posing as threats to her gold hopes is hometown bet Ni Nengah Widiasih, who got the silver in the Tokyo Paralymics last year in the 41 kg class.
“I can’t tell if I will get the gold because the Indonesian is really strong,” bared Guion, whose personal best lift is 73 kilos.
This was set when the athlete placed eighth overall in the women’s 45-kg. category of the world para powerlifting championships last November in Tbilisi, Georgia.
National coach Rico Canlas said there are five women and three men in the national para powerlifting squad, among them, reigning women’s +86-kg queen Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta, in the stint bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Also in the group are veteran Marydol Pamatian, who will vie in the women’s 41-kg. class, Denesia Apote Esnara (50-kg.), Agustin Kitan and Romeo Tayawa, who will both compete in the men’s 54-kg category, and Gregorio Damian Payat Jr., who sees action in the men’s 59-kg division.
“Everyone on our team wants to win but I don’t want to make any medal forecast so as not to pressure our athletes,” said Canlas, who was hoping to surpass the one gold and one bronze medal won in the 2017 Malaysia ASEAN Para Games.