MANILA, Philippines – It was 12 noon at the Cebu City Sports Center on Saturday, July 13 for the continuation of the Palarong Pambansa 2024, and the track oval – heated from the blistering sun and controversial issues alike – was all but empty as athletes head for shade amid the afternoon break.
Near one of the oval’s curves, however, remained a small group of people – athletes, coaches, and technical officials – wrapping up a strikingly eye-catching event: para high jump.
Elite in their own field, these amputee athletes classified in different disability groups performed feats not many fully-able people could even dream of, and while they understandably struggled to get some attempts off, the fact they were even in this position to begin with is an astounding achievement in itself.
One of these Palaro athletes, John Zedrick Sario, eventually cleared his high jump event in a virtual one-on-one battle to win gold amid scattered, but sincere applause in an empty stadium with nothing but pigeons sipping rainwater from the day prior.
As it turned out, the para high jump was already Sario’s third gold, with the other two coming from long jump and shot put.
Once all the medals were tallied on Tuesday, July 16, Central Luzon placed sixth in the para games division with five gold medals, and stunningly enough, three came from the Nueva Ecija standout alone from the three aforementioned sports.
Despite the hurdles laid in front of him – his disability he got in a motorbike accident at eight months old, the fact he had to wait five hours to get his high jump event going, and that practically no one was left in the area to watch him win – Sario just pushed on, carrying a simple mindset that all para athletes share.
“I just wanted to show that people like us with disabilities can also [play sports],” he said in Filipino.
Despite being handed a different set of cards than the rest, Sario holds the same dreams and aspirations other able-bodied athletes have, to bring further distinction to Philippine sports, and para sports by extension, in higher levels of competition.
“I want to reach other countries and play there,” he said. “I want to boost my career.”
Half in limbs but full in heart and mind, Sario is certainly bound for greatness past what the Palarong Pambansa can offer, as long as he remembers his purpose and keeps his drive alive. – Rappler.com
